FAA SAFO Recommends Operators Save CVR Recordings

An FAA Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) recommends that outfits flying aircraft equipped with cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) help prevent loss of valuable safety data by preserving recordings as soon as possible after a reportable event.

The FAA cited the Jan. 5, 2024 in-flight loss of a cabin emergency door plug by an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max as the accident that precipitated the SAFO. Other incidents have occurred, such as runway incursions at airports where aircraft continued flying, overwriting CVR data.

A recent FAA final rule mandates 25-hour CVRs in new-production aircraft operated under Part 121 and other aircraft weighing 59,525 pounds or more operated under Parts 91, 125, or 135, so this problem shouldn’t be an issue on these aircraft.

The SAFO is a response to an NTSB recommendation following the Alaska Airlines accident. “The NTSB concluded that Alaska Airlines’ procedures at the time of the accident were ineffective in ensuring that the CVR data from the accident flight were preserved, resulting in the loss of critical information for the investigation,” according to the SAFO.

As a result, the FAA recommends that operators of CVR-equipped aircraft “confirm that company manuals contain instructions that the CVR circuit breaker be pulled after a reportable event.”