Overview

• IATA director-general Willie Walsh and safety experts say cockpit video would fill investigative gaps and shed light on pilot actions, including possible mental health issues highlighted by the AAIB report
• Major U.S. pilot unions such as ALPA and APA maintain that voice and flight data recorders suffice and warn that video could invade privacy or be misused for disciplinary actions or sensational leaks
• The push follows a 2000 recommendation by NTSB Chairman Jim Hall after the EgyptAir 990 crash, but global mandates have stalled amid technical retrofit challenges on older fleets and concerns over data confidentiality
• Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators credited video footage with revealing pilot distractions in a 2023 Robinson R66 helicopter breakup that audio and data recorders alone could not explain
• India’s AAIB is due to issue a final report on Flight 171 within a year, and regulators have signaled they will await its findings before deciding on mandating cockpit cameras