As an occasional PPRuNe browser unconnected with the industry but generally curious, this event has raised a question which has often occurred to me before. Once the crew became aware of the problem, they were unable to establish the actual condition of the gear simply because they couldn't see it, and had to get confirmation of the true status from people on the ground. I've seen this a number of times, for example I remember when the Qantas A380 engine explosion occurred, crew were reported to be going around the aircraft looking out of the windows trying to see what sort of state the engine was in.
My question is this; given the small size and weight and low cost of modern CCTV equipment, why aren't modern aircraft fitted with cameras showing views of critical equipment? Not only would this give the crew information about the current status, it would also allow them to play back coverage of whatever event occurred whilst trying to work out the best course of action. Footage would also be useful for diagnosing the cause of the problem either by repair crews or, God forbid, by accident investigators.
Last edited by Shanewhite; 31st Dec 2014 at 08:20.
Reason: spollung mistook