Missing Piece in Crash Investigations By Marijan Jozic

Missing Piece in Crash Investigations By Marijan Jozic
Podcast

This podcast focuses on the need for video recording in aircraft cockpits to improve crash investigations. It highlights several serious aviation accidents, such as Air India Flight 171 and Jeju Air flight 7C2216, arguing that existing black box data often fails to explain the critical “why” behind pilot actions under stress, such as switching off working engines. Jozic contends that cockpit video recorders (VDRs) are technically feasible and affordable, similar to car dashcams, and would provide irrefutable evidence for investigators, although he acknowledges significant opposition from pilot unions due to privacy concerns and fears the footage could be misused for disciplinary action. Drawing on personal experience with installing cabin surveillance systems on KLM and Transaero flights, the author demonstrates that privacy, particularly in Europe, remains the primary non-technical hurdle to mandatory cockpit video adoption, despite the clear benefits for safety.