Are There Black Boxes in Helicopters?

It makes our lives easier by providing access to areas that are difficult to reach for humanity. helicopters; They have some difficulty in clarifying the causes of possible accidents due to their complex mechanisms, variable flight conditions and sensitive operations.

In such cases, eyes look for black boxes. If you are wondering whether helicopters also benefit from this technology, how black boxes work Let’s examine in more detail what effect it has on helicopter accidents.

What is the purpose of the black box?

The black box consists of two main components. flight data recorder (FDR-Flight Data Recorder) records many parameters of the flight performance of aircraft: altitude, speed, engine status, rotor speeds, direction and more.

cockpit voice recorder (CVR-Cockpit Voice Recorder) records all conversations and radio communications between pilots and co-pilots in the cockpit. It also becomes important to understand pilots’ reactions and interactions with each other in emergency situations.

These devices are related to flight collects critical information and examines them after the accident, providing important clues to the investigation teams about the final moments of the flight.

While black boxes are mandatory for airplanes, the situation varies for helicopters.

All aircraft with a capacity of 20 or more passengers are required to have a flight data recorder. These rules are also valid considering the capacity limit. exempts helicopters.

A black box can generally be found in helicopters used for passenger transportation, over a certain weight, and used for special tasks such as search and rescue or medical emergency response, but this is not mandatory.

Besides, especially small and privately owned helicopters It is not necessary to have a black box, as these are the most invisible type of helicopters.

military helicopters It usually contains a black box. The military does not look at the size of the plane or its passenger capacity because it is not under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enforcement. That’s why most modern military aircraft and helicopters have black boxes to identify the cause of the accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is very insistent on the black box.

After four people died when a medical helicopter crashed in 2011, the NTSB pressured the FAA over data recorders on helicopters. On it in 2020 Basketball player Kobe Bryant After the death of 7 people, including his daughter, in a helicopter crash, these pressures increased and a bill was presented to the parliament.

However, there is still no clear decision and the black box It is left to the choice of helicopter owners we can say.

What are the reasons why black boxes are not preferred in helicopters?

Considering that the helicopter owner and operator decide, different reasons emerge for not wanting it. Helicopters are quite small and Because every weight matters There is no black box included.

of the black box cost is also taken into account. The fact that it is quite expensive dissuades some aircraft owners from the black box idea. For each part to be added to a helicopter meeting certain certification standards It is necessary. Well, these mean both time and money.

We don’t know when it will become mandatory!

It is resistant to crashes and accidents, has signals that can be detected even in water for 1 month, in short, it is very durable. equipped and functional The importance of the black box is, of course, very important in bringing accidents to light.

It is also necessary to ensure the continuous improvement of the aviation industry’s safety standards. black box, Let’s see when helicopters will become mandatory.

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