[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 19, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19621-19622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-9646]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Cockpit Voice Recorder Systems
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of availability for public comment.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of and request comments
on a proposed Technical Standard Order pertaining to cockpit voice
recorder systems. The proposed TSO prescribes the minimum performance
standards that cockpit voice recorder systems must meet to be
identified with the marking ``TSO-C123a.''
DATES: Comments must identify the TSO file number and be received on or
before July 21, 1995.
ADDRESSES: Send all comments on the proposed technical standard order
to: Technical Programs and Continued Airworthiness Branch, AIR-120,
Aircraft Engineering Division, Aircraft Certification Service--File No.
TSO-C123a, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20591. Or deliver comments to: Federal Aviation
Administration, Room 804, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC
20591.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Bobbie J. Smith, Technical Programs and Continued Airworthiness
Branch, AIR-120, Aircraft Engineering Division, Aircraft Certification
Service, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20591, Telephone (202) 267-9546.
Comments Invited
Interested persons are invited to comment on the proposed TSO
listed in this notice by submitting such written data, views, or
arguments as they desire to the above specified address. Comments
received on the proposed technical standard order may be examined,
before and after the comment closing date, in Room 804, FAA
Headquarters Building (FOB-10A), 800 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20591, weekdays except Federal holidays, between 8:30
a.m. and 4:30 p.m. All communications received on or before the closing
date for comments specified above will be considered by the Director of
the Aircraft Certification Service before issuing the final TSO.
Background
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued four safety
recommendations to the FAA concerning the fire protection standards for
cockpit Voice recorders (CVRs) and flight data recorders (FDRs). The
recommendations were prompted by the loss of vital information from
several CVRs and FDRs as a result of thermal destruction of the
recording medium in posit impact fires. The
[[Page 19622]] recommendations request, among other requests, to
conduct a study to determine the actual thermal profile of post impact
fires and to revise the certification test protocol; to revise TSO's
C123 and C124 to reflect the results of the study.
The tests were conducted at the FAA Technical Center and final
report was issued October 1994, titled ``Investigation of Flight Data
Recorder Fire Test Requirements.'' The revise fire test protocol from
this report is included in this revised TSO and is essentially the fire
test in the reference European Organisation of Civil Aviation Equipment
document ``Minimum Operational Performance Specification for Cockpit
Voice Recorder System'' ED-56A published December 1993 except for the
high temperature fire test has been extended to 60 minutes from 30
minutes.
How to Obtain Copies
A copy of the proposed TSO-C123a may be obtained by contacting
``For Further Information Contact.'' TSO-C123a references EUROCAE
Document No. ED-56, dated October 1993, for the minimum operational
requirements for cockpit voice recorders, ED-55, dated May 1990, for
the minimum operational performance specification for flight data
recorders, ED-14C, dated December 1989, and RTCA/DO-160C, dated
December 1989, for environment standards, and RTCA/DO-178B, dated
December 1992, for the computer software requirements. EUROCAE
Documents No. ED-55 and ED-14C may be purchased from the European
Organisation for Civil Aviation Electronics, 11 rue Hamelin, 75783
Paris Cedex 16, France. RTCA/DO-160C and DO-178B may be purchased from
RTCA, Inc., 1140 Connecticut Avenue, NW., Suite 1020, Washington, DC
20036-4001.
Issued in Washington, DC, on April 13, 1995.
John K. McGrath,
Manager, Aircraft Engineering Division, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 95-9646 Filed 4-18-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M
