(1) Time;
(2) Altitude;
(3) Airspeed;
(4) Vertical acceleration;
(5) Heading; and
(6) Time of each radio transmission either to or from air traffic
control.
(b) No person may operate a large airplane type certificated up to and
including September 30, 1969, for operations above 25,000 feet altitude,
or a turbine-engine powered airplane certificated before the same date,
unless it is equipped before May 26, 1989 with one or more approved flight
recorders that utilize a digital method of recording and storing data and
a method of readily retrieving that data from the storage medium. The
following information must be able to be determined within the ranges,
accuracies, and recording intervals specified in appendix B of this part:
(1) Time;
(2) Altitude;
(3) Airspeed;
(4) Vertical acceleration;
(5) Heading; and
(6) Time of each radio transmission either to or from air traffic
control.
(c) Except as provided in paragraph (l) of this section, no person may
operate an airplane specified in paragraph (b) of this section unless it
is equipped, before May 26, 1994, with one or more approved flight
recorders that utilize a digital method of recording and storing data and
a method of readily retrieving that data from the storage medium. The
following information must be able to be determined within the ranges,
accuracies and recording intervals specified in appendix B of this part:
(1) Time;
(2) Altitude;
(3) Airspeed;
(4) Vertical acceleration;
(5) Heading;
(6) Time of each radio transmission either to or from air traffic
control;
(7) Pitch attitude;
(8) Roll attitude;
(9) Longitudinal acceleration;
(10) Control column or pitch control surface position; and
(11) Thrust of each engine.
(d) No person may operate an airplane specified in paragraph (b) of
this section that is manufactured after May 26, 1989, as well as airplanes
specified in paragraph (a) of this section that have been type
certificated after September 30, 1969, unless it is equipped with one or
more approved flight recorders that utlitize a digital method of recording
and storing data and a method of readily retrieving that data from the
storage medium. The following information must be able to be determined
within the ranges, accuracies, and recording intervals specified in
appendix B of this part:
(1) Time;
(2) Altitude;
(3) Airspeed;
(4) Vertical acceleration;
(5) Heading;
(6) Time of each radio transmission either to or from air traffic
control;
(7) Pitch attitude;
(8) Roll attitude;
(9) Longitudinal acceleration;
(10) Pitch trim position;
(11) Control column or pitch control surface position;
(12) Control wheel or lateral control surface position;
(13) Rudder pedal or yaw control surface position;
(14) Thrust of each engine;
(15) Position of each thrust reverser;
(16) Trailing edge flap or cockpit flap control position; and
(17) Leading edge flap or cockpit flap control position.
For the purpose of this section, manufactured means the point in
time at which the airplane inspection acceptance records reflect that the
airplane is complete and meets the FAA-approved type design data.
(e) After October 11, 1991, no person may operate a large airplane
equipped with a digital data bus and ARINC 717 digital flight data
acquisition unit (DFDAU) or equivalent unless it is equipped with one or
more approved flight recorders that utilize a digital method of recording
and storing data and a method of readily retrieving that data from the
storage medium. Any parameters specified in appendix B of this part that
are available on the digital data bus must be recorded within the ranges,
accuracies, resolutions, and sampling intervals specified.
(f) After October 11, 1991, no person may operate an airplane specified
in paragraph (b) of this section that is manufactured after October 11,
1991, nor an airplane specified in paragraph (a) of this section that has
been type certificated after September 30, 1969, and manufactured after
October 11, 1991, unless it is equipped with one or more flight recorders
that utilize a digital method of recording and storing data and a method
of readily retrieving that data from the storage medium. The parameters
specified in appendix B of this part must be recorded within the ranges,
accuracies, resolutions, and sampling intervals specified.
(g) Whenever a flight recorder required by this section is installed,
it must be operated continuously from the instant the airplane begins the
takeoff roll until it has completed the landing roll at an airport.
(h) Except as provided in paragraph (i) of this section, and except for
recorded data erased as authorized in this paragraph, each certificate
holder shall keep the recorded data prescribed in paragraph (a), (b), (c),
or (d) of this section, as appropriate, until the airplane has been
operated for at least 25 hours of the operating time specified in
§121.359(a). A total of 1 hour of recorded data may be erased for the
purpose of testing the flight recorder or the flight recorder system. Any
erasure made in accordance with this paragraph must be of the oldest
recorded data accumulated at the time of testing. Except as provided in
paragraph (i) of this section, no record need be kept more than 60 days.
(i) In the event of an accident or occurrence that requires immediate
notification of the National Transportation Safety Board under part 830 of
its regulations and that results in termination of the flight, the
certificate holder shall remove the recording media from the airplane and
keep the recorded data required by paragraph (a), (b), (c), or (d) of this
section, as appropriate, for at least 60 days or for a longer period upon
the request of the Board or the Administrator.
(j) Each flight recorder required by this section must be installed in
accordance with the requirements of §25.1459 of this chapter in effect on
August 31, 1977. The correlation required by §25.1459(c) of this chapter
need be established only on one airplane of any group of airplanes --
(1) That are of the same type;
(2) On which the model flight recorder and its installation are the
same; and
(3) On which there is no difference in the type design with respect to
the installation of those first pilot's instruments associated with the
flight recorder. The most recent instrument calibration, including the
recording medium from which this calibration is derived, and the recorder
correlation must be retained by the certificate holder.
(k) Each flight recorder required by this section that records the data
specified in paragraph (a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section, as
appropriate, must have an approved device to assist in locating that
recorder under water.
(l) No person may operate an airplane specified in paragraph (b) of
this section that meets the Stage 2 noise levels of part 36 of this
chapter and is subject to §91.801(c) of this chapter unless it is equipped
with one or more approved flight data recorders that utilize a digital
method of recording and storing data and a method of readily retrieving
that data from the storage medium. The information specified in paragraphs
(c)(1) through (c)(11) of this section must be able to be determined
within the ranges, accuracies and recording intervals specified in
appendix B of this part. In addition --
(1) This flight data recorder must be installed at the next heavy
maintenance check after May 26, 1994, but no later than May 26, 1995. A
heavy maintenance check is considered to be any time an aircraft is
scheduled to be out of service for 4 or more days.
(2) By June 23, 1994, each carrier must submit to the FAA Flight
Standards Service, Air Transportation Division (AFS-200), documentation
listing those airplanes covered under this paragraph and evidence that it
has ordered a sufficient number of flight data recorders to meet the May
26, 1995, compliance date for all aircraft on that list.
(3) After May 26, 1994, any aircraft that is modified to meet Stage 3
noise levels must have the flight data recorder described in paragraph (c)
of this section installed before operating under this part.
[Doc. No. 24418, 52 FR 9636, Mar. 25, 1987, as amended by Amdt.
121-197, 53 FR 26147, July 11, 1988; Amdt. 121-238, 59 FR 26900, May 24,
1994]