Questions tagged [flight-data-recorder]

A flight data recorder, or FDR, is one of two flight recorders ("black boxes"), used to record pilot input and aircraft parameters for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents.

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Has FDR data from a previous flight ever been useful in an accident investigation?

Has there ever been an accident investigation in which FDR data from a prior, seemingly uneventful flight was useful, for example by showing that a problem had begun to develop prior to the accident ...
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Inconsistent ARINC 717 Barker Codes

I've been trying to decode a file that is (supposedly) ARINC 717. According to all the literature I've been able to find on ARINC 717, the data should be separated into 4 repeating, one second frames, ...
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Is there somewhere I can download real FDR data? [duplicate]

Is there any way to get FDR data via the internet? Like actual FDR data from 9/11: https://undicisettembre.blogspot.com/2007/07/ntsb-flight-recorder-data-and.html
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How long is the FDR data kept for?

I was more than sure that each subsequent flights causes to overwrite earlier FDR and CVR recordings. How then should I understand the following part (emphasis mine) from this Wikipedia article: The ...
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Why didn't the airlines try to start copying SpaceX by putting camera on the outer body of the airplane? [closed]

This week my country Indonesia just had an Airplane crash accident Sriwijaya Air SJ182. I'm getting sick with people speculating why or how the plane crashed. Well, we can wait for the black box ...
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Is there a reason that commercial jets do not have a “dead man’s switch”?

Following high-profile cases of disappearances such as MH370, as well as the lower-profile but no doubt common radar infringement and level / airspace busts that we don’t hear about often, is there a ...
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How to find the plane a FDR came from?

I'm trying to find out which plane a Sundstrand UFDR came from and have narrowed it down to 5 possible planes. How can I confirm which of the 5 planes the FDR recorder came from? I did a lot of ...
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Has a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder ever failed in an accident?

Has there been a time either during an aviation accident or during normal flight where the flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder devices failed or the data was significantly corrupted?
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What is the difference between Flight data recorder and performance data recorder

Does Flight Data Recorder consists of performance data or both of them are recorded separately. Do we also have flexibility when to start recording performance data like Records the initial ...
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Flight Data Monitoring formats [duplicate]

I would be interested in learning more about Flight Data Monitoring in order to build data analysis tools. The most basic question I have, is whether Flight data is recorded using a standard format....
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Where, exactly, is the Boeing 727's FDR located?

I'm working on a history report and I am trying to find a diagram that shows where the flight data recorder would have been on a Boeing 727 in 1984, specifically for Eastern Airlines. I know the ...
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Is a smart flight data recorder possible? [closed]

Let's consider the following scenario: A flight is in trouble, the flight data recorder senses it(Anything the computer would sense and deem would result in an accident), it drains fuel from the tanks ...
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Is flight data recorder erased after every flight?

Flight data recorders store massive amounts of data per flight and despite improvements year on year with data storage as with Moore's law, carrying larger and larger amounts of data can become ...
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How much data is stored in the flight data recorder per hour in a typical flight of an A380?

One drawback or impediment to the storage of flight recorder data on the cloud is the amount of data that'd be transmitted and at cost. How much data in GB or TB is stored in the flight data recorder ...
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What's preventing aircraft manufacturers to record every single possible value in FDRs?

The preliminary report of the ET302 crash included some data from the Flight Data Recorder. However, the position of the trim cutoff switches is apparently not among the recorded values. Given that ...
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Which was the last Boeing crash that didn't send its black boxes back to the US?

I couldn't find an answer online, so I am asking the community. The real question is how frequent it is for a Boeing crash not to send the black boxes back to the USA, and a reply to title's question ...
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Why is Germany not able to read data from the Boeing 737 MAX black boxes?

It is my understanding that Germany stated it does not have the capacity to read the new software, declining Ethiopia's request: "The French announcement resolved uncertainty over the fate of the ...
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What is the official unit of airplane/aviation speed?

Some units I read/found are commonly used in aviation: mach, knot (nautical mile per hour), mile per hour (mph), kilometer per hour (km/h or kph). "Official" meaning like the units used by the flight ...
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Are the single-engine Piper Malibus required to have a black box?

Is the single engine Piper Malibu required to have a black box?
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Was the foil in older FDRs reused when it ran out, or replaced?

Before magnetic tape became the standard recording medium for flight data recorders, most FDRs used a long strip of metal foil that had altitude, airspeed, etc. traces scratched into it by a set of ...
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How to find black boxes underwater absent any pinger signals?

If CVR/FDR cannot be seen visually on the seafloor (because covered by a thick layer of mud/sediments) and no pinger signals are detected, how can they be found? Metal detectors? Any other methods? ...
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What is the format of data stored by a Flight Data Recorder?

Is the raw data fetched from the FDR available only in binary format and if so what are the software tools that are used to convert it to readable format?
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What measurement units are used in Boeing FDR readouts?

I am working with FDR readout data and I am trying to find good resources about measurement units for those logs. The data seems to be a mix of SI and non-SI units and it can be quite difficult to ...
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What is the relationship between EGT, Fuel Flow, N1, N2 and Air Temperature?

I initially wanted some sample data for EGT, Fuel Flow, N1 and N2 to build a prognosis system that predicts engine failure (ECTM). I searched for some sample data online but got to know that there's ...
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Why not increase the number of Flight Data Recorders and add jettisoning capability?

With some Flight Data Recorders gone unrecoverable during crashes , what's the argument for not changing their locations, like wings or engines? Given their utility after accidents, why not increase ...
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Does the Flight Data Recorder store the data locally or send it to an offsite backup while in flight? [duplicate]

I was wondering, what a black box actually does ? Does it store the in flight data, in case an accident should occur or it's sending it to an offsite backup while in flight ? And if it stores the data,...
Mayank Arora's user avatar
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Why was the FDR of flight ET409 extracted from ocean transported dry instead of in water?

I was more than sure that FDR (as good as any other electronic device including magnetic strip, i.e. HDD), after sitting for a few days under the sea or ocean, must unconditionally be transported wet (...
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Are CVR and FDR reset after every flight?

Recording the thousands of parameters and voice conversations must take a huge amount of storage, and so I am wondering, how frequently is this data "deleted", so it can be used again? For example, ...
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What is the smallest aircraft to have a CVR / FDR?

I was wondering what is the smallest aircraft to have a CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) and/or FDR (Flight Data Recorder)? Small single engine prop can sometimes have the avionics, like the G1000, that ...
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Why aren't the CVR and FDR required to store data for a longer period? [duplicate]

I'll be honest I don't know a lot about the brand new airplanes, but one think I do recall a lot of from reading accident reports is that they typically only recorded the last 30 minutes of data. ...
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What was the first aircraft fitted with both an FDR & CVR?

What was the first production aircraft to be fitted with a Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) as standard by the manufacturer?
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Why do black boxes seem so outdated? [duplicate]

Now that the Malaysian flight was again in the news, that they had officially given up and stopped searching, this issue comes to mind again. Why do w all depend on finding a physical recorder, and ...
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Since when black box is called "black box"? [duplicate]

In addition to this question. Is there any noted moment of time when "black box" name was first time used for calling actually orange-painted FDRs? Was there any other name ("orange box"?) before? Or ...
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If an aircraft does not have an FDR, must one be installed to comply with Flight Data Monitoring requirements in EASA countries?

Flight Data Monitoring (FDM), which analyzes FDR data to accomplish things like ensuring that pilots are following SOP's, is a requirement for EASA's Third Country Operators (TCO) certification, ...
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What would be the process to approve a minimal, standardized flight recorder for commercial balloons?

According to this article about the recent balloon event, the NSTB will try to interrogate personal electronic devices for any related data. Since some of these mentioned in the briefing do not ...
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How much force can the Dukane DK 100 ULB (Underwater Locator Beacon) widthstand?

How much shock (force) can this beacon withstand on impact? Is there an FAA certification telling us anything about it?
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Why is the black box still relevant? [duplicate]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to replace black boxes by telemetry? Seems that the costs of a single search mission for an underwater black box exceeds the cost of installing and maintaining telemetry sytem ...
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1 answer
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Which airplanes are required to have a Flight Data Recorder in Europe?

I know that not all aircraft are required to have a Flight Data Recorder (FDR) in Europe (for instance, a small single-engine airplane doesn't need one), but many are, and depending on the age of the ...
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When are black boxes used?

Obviously, black boxes gather lots of media attention after tragic accidents where planes crash or explode mid-flight, since they could be crucial understanding the crash. However, these are rather ...
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How much does a Black Box Underwater Locator Beacon (ULB) cost?

I'm curious if anybody can provide a rough price estimate for a commercial aviation ULB like those used on Black Boxes. Area of interest: Europe i.e. Euros, EASA CS-25. (For instance the RJI ULB-...
Thunderstrike's user avatar
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What data file format is used by FDRs? [closed]

For analysing the FDR, data is downloaded to the local computer from the FDR and feed into the Analysing Software. I would like to know what is the file extension of the data stored on the FDR. I ...
user49867's user avatar
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Why Black Boxes are not capable of transmitting its Critical Data directly to satellite? [duplicate]

Why don't airplane include a satellite technology to upload the critical (Voice/Engine etc) data recorded in FDR to satellite. This would be very useful, in case of missing FDR. Is there any ...
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In what manner does the Cockpit Voice Recorder timestamps?

See here the transcript of ending moments of Aeroflot Flight 593 . The Wikipedia writes : (N.B.: All timestamps refer to the flight data recorder time, not GMT or local time.) What do 2265,2266......
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What is the relation between roll angle and pitch angle?

I was wondering about roll angle and pitch angle values. Will I get same pitch angle at different roll angles and vice-versa? For example. At its initial position, the aircraft is standing on the ...
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Why isn't the last known position of a black box continuously available? [duplicate]

I have read that some GPS satellites receive this data. Where is that information recorded? Why would it not be used? Inmarsat covers all but the polar regions, why don't the airlines use that system ...
tyger klaw's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
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How does a CVR / FDR determine when to stop recording?

For example, the CVR records only about 2 hours of data. Overwriting important data must be avoided, and thus the recorders should know if a catastrophe has happened. Then they can stop recording (to ...
Gray Sheep's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
3k views

Are military aircraft required to have black boxes?

In the United States, the FAA requires certain types of aircraft to have a Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and/or Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). I understand these regulations to apply mostly to civil ...
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Does the FDR record data about the cockpit door lock system?

Does the flight data recorder record whether the cockpit door lock was deliberately used to lock someone out?
orique's user avatar
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Are plane's black boxes essentially useless tool in the modern age and how to improve upon it? [duplicate]

I am just reading the latest news on the air plane crash that happened couple days ago and it dawned on me that one too many times have I read a story on the NY Times where after black box is obtained,...
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What are the data elements shown on the GE235 flight data recorder (FDR) plot?

The Aviation Herald already has an image of the Flight Data Recorder information from the crash of TransAsia GE235: (click to enlarge) I have determined that the green lines are for engine 1 and the ...
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