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Aviation Industry

Ask the Captain: Building a better black box

John Cox
Special for USA TODAY
The flight data recorder, left, and the cockpit voice recorder from Asiana Airlines Flight 214 are shown at the NTSB's Washington headquarters.

Q: Given the current state of technology, why is aviation accident reconstruction still dependent on black boxes physically located on the aircraft? Wouldn't it make more sense for the airplane to be continuously streaming this data to the (no pun intended) cloud?

— Submitted by reader Jason, Madison, Wis.

A: It is technically possible, but there are many issues. Where would you store the data? What laws would apply to protect the data? Would it be used in legal enforcement action by the regulator? Would it be available as evidence in civil litigation? Who would pay for the massive amount of storage needed for the 40 million flights annually?

This idea seems simple but is very complex.

The direct answer to your question is that there is not the economic will, the legal protections, and the need for such a system.

Q: In wake of the Air France disaster, should an airplane's black boxes be engineered to float for easier and quicker recovery?

— Keith Rychlak, Warrington, Pa.

A: There are so few cases, even including MH370, that there's little economic justification for such a requirement. Additionally, the recorders are firmly attached to the airplane and wreckage often ends up on to of them, making it impossible for them to float free even if they could float. The benefit of making the recorders float would be very, very limited and the expense significant.

Q: Is it true that the black boxes on a commercial aircraft are split between the cockpit and the tail, such that at least one will survive a crash?

— Mark, Dallas

A: No, the location of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) vary from airplane to airplane.

Q: Should we equip aircraft with ejectable black boxes at regular intervals during the flight?

— Madhav, Mumbai, India

A: No, the idea of ejectable recorders sounds good, but what would be the criteria for ejection? Would the recorder pose a hazard to people on the ground? There are many issues with this concept. The idea of streaming a limited amount of data for location purposes then utilizing the existing recorders is a more practical solution.

Q: Why are the flight recorders called "black boxes" when in reality they're orange?

— Leo Kurchan, Las Vegas

A: Originally they were black, like most of the other electronic boxes. The name stuck, although they have been orange for decades.

John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.

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