AAIB Report
 

The October bulletin from the AAIB is out, and, looking over the 'big' stuff, there are still examples of the CVR not recording the incident

Usually this is because the circuit breaker was not pulled to stop the recording - as the tape is on a loop, this means that the recording gets overwritten, so no evidence there.

In GA we are always being told we are not as professional or as good pilots as the airline pilots. We are going to have to equip ourselves with high-tech equipment to protect the commercial sector. In previous bulletins, the AAIB have often made reference to the full and honest, and often self-critical, reports by the GA sector

Yet nowhere, as far as I can see, has anyone mentioned the oddly large number of commercial incidents where the CVR has been overwritten. Of course, most of these examples are due to honest errors by the flight crews forgetting to switch it off.

I do remember the urban myth of a crew taxying around the airfield after an 'interesting' landing, for 45 minutes, so that the tape would be overwritten. This can't still be happening though, and, if it is, why aren't the CAA doing something about it?

Also I do wonder about this requirement where there has been an incident outbound and the CB is pulled; what's to stop there being a more serious one inbound for which there is no CVR? (e.g. a friend of mine had an AIRPROX on the outbound leg of a trip for a national flag carrier... they pulled the CB. What would have happened if they'd crashed on the way home?)

Tim

Really a large number? How many, what proportion? I am aware of one incident in australia recently... maybe there are a few others, but you seem to be calling a trend?

Andy