Partners and Programs:
  • BARS
  • GSIP
  • SKYbrary
  • ASN
  • Contact Us
  • Members' Center
  • Login
  • Support Aviation Safety

  • Industry Updates
  • The Foundation
    • About the Foundation
    • Founders
    • Mission
    • History
    • Leadership
    • Officers and Staff
    • Media/Communications
    • Aviation Award & Scholarship Programs
    • Work with Us
    • Join Us
  • Events
  • AeroSafety World
  • Toolkits & Resources
    • COVID-19 Crisis Resources
    • Fatigue Management
    • Flight Path Monitoring
    • Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (GAPPRE)
    • Go-Around Project
    • Global Safety Assessment Project
    • Learning From All Operations
    • Past Safety Initiatives
    • Pilot Training and Competency
    • Special Reports
  • Industry Updates
  • The Foundation
    • About the Foundation
    • Founders
    • Mission
    • History
    • Leadership
    • Officers and Staff
    • Media/Communications
    • Aviation Award & Scholarship Programs
    • Work with Us
    • Join Us
  • Events
  • AeroSafety World
  • Toolkits & Resources
    • COVID-19 Crisis Resources
    • Fatigue Management
    • Flight Path Monitoring
    • Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (GAPPRE)
    • Go-Around Project
    • Global Safety Assessment Project
    • Learning From All Operations
    • Past Safety Initiatives
    • Pilot Training and Competency
    • Special Reports
  • Contact Us
  • Members' Center
  • Login
  • Support Aviation Safety
Partners and Programs:
  • BARS
  • GSIP
  • SKYbrary
  • ASN

FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS

701 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 250,
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Phone: +1 703 739 6700 Fax: +1 703 739 6708

  • Aviation Safety Experts
  • Industry Updates
  • TSB Recommends Expanding Flight Recorder Requirement

Loss of Control–In Flight (LOC-I), Accident/Incident Investigation

TSB Recommends Expanding Flight Recorder Requirement

by FSF Editorial Staff | April 27, 2018

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) says the requirement for flight data recorders (FDRs) should be extended to all Canadian commercial and private business aircraft operators.

Lightweight recording systems should be mandatory for the commercial and private business operators not covered by existing regulations, the TSB said in a safety recommendation issued Thursday to Transport Canada.

The existing regulations base requirements for FDRs primarily on the number and type of engines in an aircraft, the number of passenger seats, and the type of operation in which it is engaged, the TSB said. Typically, smaller commercial aircraft lack the system infrastructure to support an FDR, and some other aircraft types are not compatible with conventional FDRs; many of these aircraft, however, could accommodate lightweight recording systems, the TSB said.

The TSB’s recommendation was included in Thursday’s final report on the Oct. 13, 2016, crash of a Norjet Cessna Citation 500 after departure from Kelowna Airport in British Columbia. The pilot and all three passengers were killed in the loss of control crash, which destroyed the airplane.

“Because there were no flight recording systems on board the aircraft, the TSB could not determine the cause of the accident,” the agency said in a statement accompanying the report. “The most plausible scenario is that the pilot, who was likely dealing with a high workload associated with flying the aircraft alone, experienced spatial disorientation and departed from controlled flight shortly after takeoff.”

The TSB noted that in another recent report — on an accident involving a privately operated Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 that crashed March 29, 2016, on approach to Îles-de-la-Madeleine Airport, Quebec — the airplane was equipped with a lightweight FDR even though the system was not required by regulation. The data gathered by that system helped accident investigators understand the sequence of events that preceded the crash, which killed all seven passengers and crew, the TSB said.

The contrast in the evidence available in the two accidents illustrates the value of FDR systems, the TSB report said.

TSB Chair Kathy Fox added, “We don’t like having to say, ‘We don’t know’ when asked what caused an accident and why. We want to be able to provide definitive answers.”

 

Share:

Print:

Key Safety Issues

  • Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)
  • Loss of Control–In Flight (LOC-I)
  • Mechanical Issues
  • Runway Safety (approach and landing)
  • Sabotage/Intentional Acts
  • Midair Collisions (MAC)
  • Runway Safety (Conflicts)
  • Wildlife Issues
  • Fatigue
  • Cabin Safety
  • Emerging Safety Issues
    • Lithium Batteries
    • Safety Information Sharing and Protection
    • Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Related Content

Accident/Incident Investigation, News

Faulty Mental Model

The ATSB says a pilot’s mistaken belief that an approaching 737 would land behind his Caravan was a factor in a separation occurrence.

by Linda Werfelman

Accident Investigation, Human Factors, News

An ‘Altered Perception of Risk’

The pilot had conducted similar steep climbing turns after takeoffs in the past, the TSB said.

by Linda Werfelman

Accident/Incident Investigation, News, Unmanned Aircraft

An Unrecognized Conflict

A small airplane was slightly damaged and a drone was destroyed in a collision near a Toronto airport.

by Linda Werfelman

Read more articles

701 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 250, Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Phone: +1 703 739 6700 Fax: +1 703 739 6708

Flight Safety Foundation on Twitter

Enhance your #runwaysafety skills with our exclusive workshop on Air Navigation Services and #Aerodrome! Join us to… https://t.co/QCK7uOI0D9

March 11, 2023

Follow @flightsafety

Projects & Partners

  • Basic Aviation Risk Standard
  • Global Safety Information Project
  • SKYbrary
  • Aviation Safety Network
  • Donate
  • Advertise on our website
  • Sponsor & Exhibit at our Events
  • Work with Us
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • Privacy

© 2023 Flight Safety Foundation

Join our group on LinkedIn