NTSB Recommends Retrofitting Turbine Aircraft with Crash-Resistant Recorders

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued safety recommendation A-13-013, identified by reference number CEN11FA599, directed to the Federal Aviation Administration. This recommendation urges the agency to mandate that all existing turbine-powered aircraft operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 91, 121, or 135 be retrofitted with crash-resistant flight recorder systems. The requirement specifically targets nonexperimental and nonrestricted-category aircraft that currently lack a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder. The NTSB specifies that the installed system must record cockpit audio and images, including a view of the cockpit environment and as much of the outside view as possible, along with parametric data per aircraft and system installation. These systems should comply with Technical Standard Order C197 regarding Information Collection and Monitoring Systems.