Recommends Idea To FAA For Regulatory Action

The NTSB says airlines and pilot's unions should use cockpit voice recorders to routinely monitor what goes on in the cockpit, and not just for accident investigations ... a suggestion that has received a cold reception from pilots and unions.

While CVRs currently make only the last 30 minutes of cockpit audio available, the devices will be required to save two hours of data beginning April 7th, 2012.

Two high-profile incidents have led the NTSB down this road: The disclosure of non-flight-related crew conversations leading up to the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 near Buffalo last year, which were said to be violation of federal regulations, and the Northwest flight which overshot its destination by 150 miles. In the latter incident, the pilots said they were "distracted" by a discussion of company policies, but the CVR did not retain a recording for that portion of the flight.

USA Today reports that some regional airlines have endorsed the monitoring, and the chair of the House Transportation Committee, James Oberstar (D-MN) is a strong supporter of legislation. During a recent hearing, Oberstar said "This is the next frontier of safety that we must not put off."

But pilot's unions and pilots themselves call the proposal little more than an invasion of privacy.  "It's the wrong way to go safety-wise," said Mike Michaelis, chairman of safety at the Allied Pilots Association, the American Airlines union. Some have said that monitoring the conversations would make pilots less likely to talk about safety issues during flights. But at least one NTSB member, Robert Sumwalt said "This is not a case of Big Brother spying on pilots."

Bill Voss, the president of Flight Safety, weighs in on the side of the pilots. He says there are other safety initiatives that should be implemented before resorting to monitoring cockpit conversations.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov