IFALPA strongly against Cockpit Video Recorders

Ifalpa Stands Firm Against Cockpit Video

The Montreal-based International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (Ifalpa) released a position paper last week confirming the association’s continued strong opposition to the use of cockpit airborne video recording systems on transport aircraft. Ifalpa said that while it strongly supports safety improvement initiatives, airborne image recording (AIR) would not add anything significant to an accident investigation because visual data is always subject to misinterpretation, a position it says is supported by a UK CAA study. “When flight crews are subject to video recordings, even for training purpos­es, they behave very differently,” Ifalpa said. “There is clearly a fear of cameras, in front of which flight crews mostly focus on avoiding behavioral mistakes to the detriment of decision making and problem solving. The presence of AIRs also has an adverse impact on the willingness of the crew to report events, which in itself has a negative effect on safety and accident prevention, and makes the installation of such recorders counterproductive.” The association believes the theoretical gain provided by AIR use in an accident investigation would be minimal and has not been proved to enhance safety. It weighed this concern against the “massive infringement of privacy represented by video recordings, as well as the fundamental personal rights of the flight crews.”