NTSB Chair Calls for Extended Cockpit Voice Recorder Duration

Jennifer Homendy urges the FAA to increase the recording time from two hours to 25 hours, aligning with European standards and applying to all aircraft, not just newly-manufactured ones.

NTSB Chairperson Jennifer Homendy calls for a change in the recording standard of cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) from two hours to 25 hours, a duration already required under European airline regulations.
The FAA proposed a similar requirement last year, but it would only apply to newly-manufactured planes. Homendy wants the proposal to be extended to aircraft currently in service.
The recent Alaska Airlines incident, where a door plug blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9, highlighted the issue as the CVR data was overwritten before it could be retrieved due to the two-hour recording limit.
Over the last five years, the short recording span of CVRs has impacted 10 investigations, including several probes into near-collisions on US runways.
Despite the FAA's resistance to longer recording times, citing costs, Homendy insists that it is possible to easily install a different CVR and increase the recording time.