The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) and the European Cockpit Association (ECA) strongly condemn and regret the publication by the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (SHK) of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) preliminary transcript recorded during the last 1min 15sec of the West Atlantic AB CRJ-200, ¨Air Sweden 294¨ accident, which occurred on 8th January 2016.
Not only does the publication contravene the internationally agreed principles of accident investigation confidentiality, set out in ICAO Annex 13 and EU Regulation 996/2010, but it unnecessarily adds to the burden of the victims' families, and is also a breach of trust to all those involved in commercial aviation.
The relevant framework (Annex 13) for accident investigation by the International Civil Aviation Organization states under 5.12 and 5.12.1 that CVR content shall only be disclosed if "pertinent to the analysis of the accident or incident. Parts of the records not relevant to the analysis shall not be disclosed", and therefore only in the final report.
IFALPA and ECA thus call the CVR transcript publication unwarranted, premature and unacceptable.
In this early stage of the investigation, many critical questions remain to be answered. IFALPA and ECA call for adherence to the proper accident investigation process and expect a comprehensive and accurate analysis of events based on the highest professional standards. IFALPA and ECA remain fully committed to enhancing aviation safety and our organisations’ resources are at the disposal of the Accident Investigation Agencies to achieve this aim.
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For further information, please contact:
Dirk Polloczek, ECA President, Tel: +32 2 705 32 93
Captain Martin Chalk, IFALPA President, Tel: +44 7432 616 119
Note to editors:ECA is the representative body of European pilot associations, representing over 38.000 pilots from across Europe. Website: www.eurocockpit.be
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations represents in excess of 100,000 pilots in about 100 countries around the globe. The mission of IFALPA is to promote the highest level of aviation safety worldwide and to be the global advocate of the piloting profession; providing representation, services and support to both our members and the aviation industry.Website: www.ifalpa.org
