363 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 25.1459 

(2) If two separate combination dig-

ital flight data recorder and cockpit 
voice recorder units are installed in-
stead of one cockpit voice recorder and 
one digital flight data recorder, the 
combination unit that is installed to 
comply with the cockpit voice recorder 
requirements may be located near the 
cockpit. 

(f) If the cockpit voice recorder has a 

bulk erasure device, the installation 
must be designed to minimize the prob-
ability of inadvertent operation and ac-
tuation of the device during crash im-
pact. 

(g) Each recorder container must— 
(1) Be either bright orange or bright 

yellow; 

(2) Have reflective tape affixed to its 

external surface to facilitate its loca-
tion under water; and 

(3) Have an underwater locating de-

vice, when required by the operating 
rules of this chapter, on or adjacent to 
the container which is secured in such 
manner that they are not likely to be 
separated during crash impact. 

[Doc. No. 5066, 29 FR 18291, Dec. 24, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 25–2, 30 FR 3932, Mar. 26, 
1965; Amdt. 25–16, 32 FR 13914, Oct. 6, 1967; 
Amdt. 25–41, 42 FR 36971, July 18, 1977; Amdt. 
25–65, 53 FR 26143, July 11, 1988; Amdt. 25–124, 
73 FR 12563, Mar. 7, 2008; 74 FR 32800, July 9, 
2009] 

§ 25.1459

Flight data recorders. 

(a) Each flight recorder required by 

the operating rules of this chapter 
must be installed so that— 

(1) It is supplied with airspeed, alti-

tude, and directional data obtained 
from sources that meet the accuracy 
requirements of §§ 25.1323, 25.1325, and 
25.1327, as appropriate; 

(2) The vertical acceleration sensor is 

rigidly attached, and located longitu-
dinally either within the approved cen-
ter of gravity limits of the airplane, or 
at a distance forward or aft of these 
limits that does not exceed 25 percent 
of the airplane’s mean aerodynamic 
chord; 

(3)(i) It receives its electrical power 

from the bus that provides the max-
imum reliability for operation of the 
flight data recorder without jeopard-
izing service to essential or emergency 
loads. 

(ii) It remains powered for as long as 

possible without jeopardizing emer-
gency operation of the airplane. 

(4) There is an aural or visual means 

for preflight checking of the recorder 
for proper recording of data in the stor-
age medium; 

(5) Except for recorders powered sole-

ly by the engine-driven electrical gen-
erator system, there is an automatic 
means to simultaneously stop a re-
corder that has a data erasure feature 
and prevent each erasure feature from 
functioning, within 10 minutes after 
crash impact; 

(6) There is a means to record data 

from which the time of each radio 
transmission either to or from ATC can 
be determined; 

(7) Any single electrical failure exter-

nal to the recorder does not disable 
both the cockpit voice recorder and the 
flight data recorder; and 

(8) It is in a separate container from 

the cockpit voice recorder when both 
are required. If used to comply with 
only the flight data recorder require-
ments, a combination unit may be in-
stalled. If a combination unit is in-
stalled as a cockpit voice recorder to 
comply with § 25.1457(e)(2), a combina-
tion unit must be used to comply with 
this flight data recorder requirement. 

(b) Each nonejectable record con-

tainer must be located and mounted so 
as to minimize the probability of con-
tainer rupture resulting from crash im-
pact and subsequent damage to the 
record from fire. In meeting this re-
quirement the record container must 
be located as far aft as practicable, but 
need not be aft of the pressurized com-
partment, and may not be where aft- 
mounted engines may crush the con-
tainer upon impact. 

(c) A correlation must be established 

between the flight recorder readings of 
airspeed, altitude, and heading and the 
corresponding readings (taking into ac-
count correction factors) of the first pi-
lot’s instruments. The correlation 
must cover the airspeed range over 
which the airplane is to be operated, 
the range of altitude to which the air-
plane is limited, and 360 degrees of 
heading. Correlation may be estab-
lished on the ground as appropriate. 

(d) Each recorder container must— 

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