The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States officially finalized a new aviation safety regulation on Friday, January 30th, requiring all newly manufactured passenger airplanes from 2027 onwards to be equipped with Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) capable of retaining data for 25 hours. At the same time, it mandates that all active commercial airplanes in the United States must undergo retrofitting within a specified period to completely eliminate the current standard of only recording data for 2 hours.
This new regulation is aimed at addressing the long-standing issue of data loss in air crash investigations, ensuring that investigators have access to more comprehensive communication and audio evidence in the event of flight accidents or emergencies. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker stated that by significantly extending the recording duration, the aviation safety standards in the United States will be substantially improved.
Whitaker emphasized in his statement, “This rule will provide us with substantially more data to help us identify the causes of accidents and prevent them in the future.” He underlined that ensuring investigators have the necessary key information is the foundation for continually improving the safety standards of the U.S. aviation industry.
Furthermore, this measure also holds international significance. Whitaker further emphasized that this action is aimed at aligning the aviation safety standards of the United States with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), both of which have implemented the 25-hour recording standard since 2021.
The core driving force behind this reform comes from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States, which has been advocating for this change for several years. According to NTSB investigation records, in 2023 alone, the U.S. experienced several serious incidents of near-runway collisions. However, due to the existing 2-hour data retention of the cockpit voice recorders, many crucial audio recordings were overwritten during landing or while proceeding to the next flight, preventing investigators from accessing key pilot conversations at the time.
Regarding the implementation process, the new regulation mandates that all newly produced commercial airplanes from 2027 onwards must adhere to the 25-hour recording standard. As per a law enacted by Congress in 2024, all active passenger aircraft in the U.S. must be retrofitted with the new recorders by 2030.
Although the new regulation takes immediate effect, the FAA has provided a compliance buffer period of 1 to 3 years for some small aircraft. This marks the most significant upgrade in the United States’ aviation accident investigation tools since the introduction of recorder technology in the 1960s.