Which device is used to record cockpit audio during an aircraft accident investigation?

Which device is used to record cockpit audio during an aircraft accident investigation?

• A. Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)
• B. Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR)
• C. Black box
• D. Emergency Locator Transmitter

Answer: (A)

Recording cockpit audio is done by the cockpit voice recorder. It captures the pilots’ voices and other sounds in the cockpit, along with any radio transmissions heard there, providing a time-stamped record of conversations and crew actions that helps investigators understand what happened and how crew coordination or decisions unfolded. The digital flight data recorder, by contrast, collects flight parameters such as airspeed, altitude, heading, vertical speed, control inputs, and engine data. It helps recreate the aircraft’s performance and flight path but does not capture audio. “Black box” is a general term often used for aircraft recorders, but the specific device that records cockpit audio is the cockpit voice recorder. The emergency locator transmitter is a beacon that aids search and rescue by signaling location; it does not record audio.

Recording cockpit audio is done by the cockpit voice recorder. It captures the pilots’ voices and other sounds in the cockpit, along with any radio transmissions heard there, providing a time-stamped record of conversations and crew actions that helps investigators understand what happened and how crew coordination or decisions unfolded.

The digital flight data recorder, by contrast, collects flight parameters such as airspeed, altitude, heading, vertical speed, control inputs, and engine data. It helps recreate the aircraft’s performance and flight path but does not capture audio.

“Black box” is a general term often used for aircraft recorders, but the specific device that records cockpit audio is the cockpit voice recorder. The emergency locator transmitter is a beacon that aids search and rescue by signaling location; it does not record audio.