ED Decision 2021/010/R

The objective of this Decision is to: 

• improve the availability and quality of data recorded by flight recorders in order to better support safety investigations of accidents and incidents involving large rotorcraft; and 
• reduce the risk of design-related human factors (HFs) errors that may lead or contribute to an accident or incident. 

This Decision amends: 

• CS-29 to: 
  • provide certification specifications (CSs) and acceptable means of compliance (AMC) for flight recorders performing the data link recording function, 
  • introduce in the AMC for flight recorder installations new sections explaining what kinds of failures should be addressed by the applicants when developing the instructions for continued airworthiness (ICAs), 
  • introduce in AMC 29.1457 a new section explaining how to perform evaluations of cockpit voice recorder (CVR) recordings, and 
  • amend CS 29.1457 for CVRs to allow the use of more than four channels; 
• CS-27 and CS-29 to introduce specific requirements (i.e. CS 27/29.1302) to ensure that HFs are systematically taken into account during the design and certification process of rotorcraft cockpits. 

The amendments related to 29.1457 of CS-29 are expected to increase safety without any significant economic impact, and with no environmental or social impact. They will also support large rotorcraft operators in ensuring the serviceability of flight recorders, streamlining the CS-29 certification process, thereby providing an economic benefit for large rotorcraft operators, CS-29 certification applicants, and EASA. 

The amendments related to 27/29.1302 of CS-27 and CS-29 are expected to moderately increase safety, as compliance with the new CSs is expected to reduce the probability of HFs and pilot workload issues leading to an accident or incident.