NCC.IDE.A.160 Cockpit voice recorder

(a)The following aeroplanes shall be equipped with a CVR:

(1)aeroplanes with an MCTOM of more than 27 000 kg and first issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 January 2016; and

(2)aeroplanes with an MCTOM of more than 2 250 kg:

(i)certified for operation with a minimum crew of at least two pilots;

(ii)equipped with turbojet engine(s) or more than one turboprop engine; and

(iii)for which a type certificate is first issued on or after 1 January 2016.

(b)The CVR shall be capable of retaining data recorded during at least:

(1)the preceding 25 hours for aeroplanes with an MCTOM of more than 27 000 kg and first issued with an individual CofA on or after 1 January 2022; or

(2)the preceding 2 hours in all other cases.

(c)The CVR shall record with reference to a timescale:

(1)voice communications transmitted from or received in the flight crew compartment by radio;

(2)flight crew members’ voice communications using the interphone system and the public address system, if installed;

(3)the aural environment of the flight crew compartment, including, without interruption, the audio signals received from each boom and mask microphone in use; and

(4)voice or audio signals identifying navigation or approach aids introduced into a headset or speaker.

(d)The CVR shall start automatically to record prior to the aeroplane moving under its own power and shall continue to record until the termination of the flight when the aeroplane is no longer capable of moving under its own power.

(e)In addition to (d), depending on the availability of electrical power, the CVR shall start to record as early as possible during the cockpit checks prior to engine start at the beginning of the flight until the cockpit checks immediately following engine shutdown at the end of the flight.

(f)If the CVR is not deployable, it shall have a device to assist in locating it under water. By 1 January 2020 at the latest, this device shall have a minimum underwater transmission time of 90 days. If the CVR is deployable, it shall have an automatic emergency locator transmitter.