Cockpit Chronicles: Nearly a near midair collision

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11-15-2010 @ 7:57AM

Mark said...

Great post again, but I've got a query about this bit:

"The NTSB requires that any flight responding to a TCAS resolution advisory above 18,000 feet must pull the voice recorder circuit breaker after completing the parking checklist. This would allow the NTSB to analyze the tapes from ATC and the aircraft involved in the loss of separation incident."

I find this mildly concerning, but for different reasons to the one you stated in the post. Is there anything which says the recording must be copied and the breaker replaced (and hence CVR) reactivated before the next flight? If not, does the aircraft fly without a CVR (somewhat defeating its purpose) or is the aircraft grounded until the tapes get copied?

11-15-2010 @ 8:02AM

Kent Wien said...

Hi Mark,

There was a bit more to it than just pulling the circuit breaker. I didn't go into all of the detail, but since you're curious...

After the incident, we notified our dispatch and maintenance. And then after landing we wrote it up in the logbook, which effectively grounds the airplane until it's dealt with. We then called maintenance again.

We also talked with the pilots who would be taking the airplane on its next flight and explained what happened.

Talking with the chief pilot afterward, he explained that not only would maintenance download the audio, but they would also be collecting the flight data as well.

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