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yesterday

Industry Debates Cockpit Video Recorders After Air India Crash Report

Safety advocates say cockpit cameras would aid accident investigations by revealing pilot actions, raising questions over privacy protections.

Wreckage of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane sits on the open ground, outside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, where it took off and crashed nearby shortly afterwards, in Ahmedabad, India July 12, 2025. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo
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Overview

  • Willie Walsh, head of IATA, said on July 16 in Singapore that cockpit video could fill gaps left by voice and data recorders in probing the June Air India crash.
  • AAIB’s preliminary report found near-simultaneous fuel cutoff by a pilot seconds after takeoff, fueling calls for visual data on cockpit conduct.
  • Pilot unions including ALPA, APA and IFALPA argue existing recorders are sufficient and warn that cameras could invade privacy and be misused.
  • A 2023 ATSB investigation of a Robinson R66 helicopter crash demonstrated how factory-installed cockpit cameras revealed pilot distractions that audio and data recorders alone missed.
  • No aviation regulator has proposed a mandate for cockpit cameras, and industry stakeholders continue to debate confidentiality and access safeguards.