"Smile, You're on Candid Camera"

“Smile, You’re on Candid Camera”

FLYING Staff

Monday, February 28, 2005 at 10:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The article questions the added value of Cockpit Image Recorders (CIRs) for accident investigation, noting the NTSB's excellent track record with existing tools like Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVRs).
Significant costs, primarily for installation and retrofitting across entire fleets, are highlighted as a major barrier to CIR implementation.
The most contentious issue is the lack of robust legal protection and privacy for CIR data, raising fears of misuse in litigation, unauthorized public dissemination, and international digital security breaches.
The author ultimately advocates for prioritizing accident prevention over new investigative tools, suggesting current methods are adequate and proposing alternative camera uses for passenger security.

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The most valuable part of the video recording was actually the audio portion. That seems to be the consensus of many pilots when a voice recorder is compared to an image recorder, at least in a training environment; although the Navy expert testifying at the NTSB hearing argued otherwise. For certain airplanes, the Navy has employed a computer-assisted debriefing system that it claims for its success in reducing mishaps.

Let’s give some credit to the NTSB. Did you know that over the last 20 years the organization has never failed to determine a probable cause for a major aviation accident? That’s a damn good record as far as I’m concerned. How is an image recorder going to improve upon that success rate?