CVR recordings of explosions and structural failure decompressions
CVR recordings of explosions and structural failure decompressions
Rapid identification of the cause of failure is a high priority in the immediate aftermath
of a major civil aircraft accident. Attention is often focused on the two recorders, the
Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder. In the event of sudden,
catastrophic loss of an aircraft through explosions or structural failure decompressions,
the recordings are seen as even more important. Yet these recorders are not designed to
record such events with great fidelity and the ability of accident investigators to
interpret such recordings has been severely tested in several major accidents in the past
thirty years; comparisons between accident recordings have not been able to produce
conclusive results. This paper reports on a programme investigating CVR recordings of
explosions and rapid decompressions on a variety of aircraft from trials in several
countries. In particular we show that CVR recordings are generally unable to
discriminate between explosions and structural failure decompressions and we explain
why this is so. We shall also put forward practical suggestions for systems that may be
able to record these events with greater fidelity and which would provide investigators
in the future with tools to locate the seat of the failure.
Dyne, Stuart
183ae5ba-e37c-4531-b99d-e843fcae1b5a
2003
Dyne, Stuart
183ae5ba-e37c-4531-b99d-e843fcae1b5a
Dyne, Stuart
(2003)
CVR recordings of explosions and structural failure decompressions.
International Society of Air Safety Investigators Seminar, Washington DC, USA.
01 Aug 2003.
11 pp
.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
Rapid identification of the cause of failure is a high priority in the immediate aftermath
of a major civil aircraft accident. Attention is often focused on the two recorders, the
Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder. In the event of sudden,
catastrophic loss of an aircraft through explosions or structural failure decompressions,
the recordings are seen as even more important. Yet these recorders are not designed to
record such events with great fidelity and the ability of accident investigators to
interpret such recordings has been severely tested in several major accidents in the past
thirty years; comparisons between accident recordings have not been able to produce
conclusive results. This paper reports on a programme investigating CVR recordings of
explosions and rapid decompressions on a variety of aircraft from trials in several
countries. In particular we show that CVR recordings are generally unable to
discriminate between explosions and structural failure decompressions and we explain
why this is so. We shall also put forward practical suggestions for systems that may be
able to record these events with greater fidelity and which would provide investigators
in the future with tools to locate the seat of the failure.
More information
Published date: 2003
Venue - Dates:
International Society of Air Safety Investigators Seminar, Washington DC, USA, 2003-08-01 - 2003-08-01
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 10754
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/10754
PURE UUID: f6b30b64-92ca-4dca-927a-947a36795131
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 09 Feb 2006
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 05:00
Export record
Contributors
Author:
Stuart Dyne
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics