The initial findings report, released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India, has raised many questions while answering a few. The conversation between the two pilots, quoted above, has renewed calls for installing cockpit video recorders in aircraft—not only in India but across the world.
Willie Walsh, Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and a former pilot himself, has argued for the installation of video cameras in cockpits to monitor pilot actions. He said such footage could complement investigations alongside voice and flight data recorders.”Based on what little we know now, it’s quite possible that a video recording, in addition to the voice recording, would significantly assist the investigators in conducting that investigation on the issue of mental health,” Walsh was quoted as saying to a Singaporean media outlet on Wednesday (16 July), according to Reuters.
Read more: ‘Why did you cut off fuel?’ — ‘I didn’t’: AAIB report reveals final exchange before Air India crash
The preliminary report raises the question of whether one of the pilots on the London-bound flight cut off fuel to the Boeing 787’s engines after take-off, resulting in the crash.
Efforts to install cameras in cockpits
The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made the first such recommendation in 1989, after investigating an incident in which a Boeing 737 reportedly descended prematurely at Kansas City International Airport in Missouri.
In 2000, Jim Hall, then Chairman of the NTSB, again recommended that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) install image recorders in commercial aircraft.
Hall’s recommendation reportedly followed the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 in 1999, when the first officer “intentionally” crashed the aircraft, killing all 217 people on board, according to the NTSB.
In 2001, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) called for the installation of cameras in both cockpit and cabin to enable “one-click real-time downlink transmission of video data in the event of safety incidents, or even emergencies such as hijacking, fire, sudden sickness of passengers, aircraft failure and illegal interference.”
The ICAO noted in a paper that such measures were vital for safety monitoring so that “joint emergency response can be initiated to ensure better execution of the flight with support from ground-based experts.”
In 2024, the FAA Reauthorisation Act again did not mandate cockpit cameras for US airlines.Read more: AAIB Preliminary Report on Air India AI171 Crash: 10 key findings
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also considered installing cameras on commercial flights. According to a Times of India report from 2013, DGCA officials were exploring the possibility of mandating cameras in response to concerns about pilots’ behaviour while on duty.
Despite all these calls none of the regulatory bodies nor countries have mandated use of cameras yet.
Safety vs Privacy: Why no cameras in cockpits?
While aviation authorities have repeatedly recommended installing cameras, a segment of the pilot community continues to resist the move on privacy grounds.
The main concern cited is “privacy”. The US Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and the Allied Pilots Association (APA) argue that voice and data recorders already provide sufficient information to determine the cause of a crash. They believe cameras could invade pilots’ privacy and be misused.
There are also concerns that footage could be used by airlines for disciplinary action, or even leaked. “A pilot’s death being broadcast on ‘the 6 o’clock news’ is not something that the pilot’s family should ever have to go through,” said John Cox, a retired pilot and former ALPA executive air safety chairman, as reported by Reuters.
Still, a few voices support the installation of cameras. Former pilot John Nance said, “In the balance between privacy and safety, the scale tips towards safety, unequivocally,” adding that protecting the flying public is a “sacred obligation” of the pilot.
Anthony Brickhouse, another aviation expert, stated that as an investigator he supports cockpit video but acknowledged that commercial pilots’ concerns must also be addressed. “Video on Air India flight 171 would have answered lots of questions,” he said.
Cockpit cameras useful in investigations
Video cameras could prove useful in filling the gaps and resolving doubts raised by voice and data recorders.
Read more: DGCA to order Boeing 787 fuel switch inspections after Air India crash preliminary probe
In 2023, video footage was reportedly “invaluable” to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau in determining the cause of the Robinson R66 helicopter breaking up mid-air, killing the sole occupant—the pilot.
The footage showed that “the pilot was occupied with non-flying related tasks for much of this time—specifically, mobile phone use and the consumption of food and beverages,” according to the report, which was released 18 days after the Air India crash.
