RE: Publishing CVRs

Strauch Barry (STRAUCB_at_NTSB.GOV)
Fri, 7 Aug 1998 08:25:51 -0400


Oscar, the rules governing release of CVR transcripts and tapes vary across
different countries. In the United States the NTSB releases the transcript
only when all other factual reports are released, or when it holds a public
hearing. It is prohibited from releasing the audio tape of the CVR, but it
does return it to the owner of the tape at some point.

Several years ago of a CVR audio tape was released, but it was released by
the airline in the post-accident litigation, after the NTSB had returned it
to the airline. This is the only incident I know of in the United States
where an audio tape of a CVR was released to the public.

Barry Strauch
NTSB
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Hugo Oscar Leimann Patt [SMTP:hleimann_at_houseware.com.ar]
> Sent: Thursday, August 06, 1998 7:59 PM
> To: crm-devel_at_db.erau.edu
> Subject: Publishing CVRs
>
>
> Dear gang,
> talking about CVRs, could anyone in this lovely forum tell me which kind
> of legal
> requirement are needed to publish (in internet or otherwise) the
> transcripts and
> the audio tape itself as well. This requirement is motivated by the
> imminent
> release of our last and greatest accident and I would like to see if those
> data
> can be vented to the whole aviation community for safety sake (something
> like
> *believe it or not, this can happen to you too*), without suffering legal
> inconvenients.
> Thanks a lot in advance.
> Hugo
> http://www.house.com.ar/users/hf_crm