FAA Announces Rulemaking Process to Require Aircraft to Have Longer Duration Cockpit Voice Recorders Following Series of Near-Collisions on US Runways.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced a new rulemaking process that will require aircraft to have longer duration Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVRs) following a series of near-collisions on US runways.

On February 16th, Air Canada Rouge Flight No. 1633 was cleared to take off from the airport’s Runway 14 in Sarasota, Florida, at the same time an American Airlines flight was cleared to land on the same runway. The pilots of the American Airlines flight eventually aborted their landing, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The FAA held an emergency “safety summit” Wednesday to address the issue and is now initiating rulemaking that will require CVRs to capture 25 hours of information. Currently, the CVR, which is one of two so-called “black boxes” on an aircraft, captures only the most recent two hours of sound in the cockpit.

The rulemaking process can take multiple years, and the agency added it would welcome intervention from Congress on the matter. The FAA is working to ensure that aircraft have longer duration CVRs in order to prevent future close calls and ensure the safety of passengers and crew.

The FAA’s announcement follows a string of similar close calls at U.S. airports this year. The agency is taking steps to ensure that aircraft are equipped with the latest safety technology and that air traffic controllers are following the proper protocols.