339 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 125.226 

the ranges, accuracies, resolutions, and 
sampling intervals specified. 

(d) No person may operate under this 

part an airplane that is manufactured 
after October 11, 1991, unless it is 
equipped with one or more approved 
flight recorders that utilize a digital 
method of recording and storing data 
and a method of readily retrieving that 
data from the storage medium. The pa-
rameters specified in appendix D of 
this part must be recorded within the 
ranges, accuracies, resolutions and 
sampling intervals specified. For the 
purpose of this section, ‘‘manufac-
tured’’ means the point in time at 
which the airplane inspection accept-
ance records reflect that the airplane is 
complete and meets the FAA-approved 
type design data. 

(e) Whenever a flight recorder re-

quired by this section is installed, it 
must be operated continuously from 
the instant the airplane begins the 
takeoff roll until it has completed the 
landing roll at an airport. 

(f) Except as provided in paragraph 

(g) of this section, and except for re-
corded data erased as authorized in 
this paragraph, each certificate holder 
shall keep the recorded data prescribed 
in paragraph (a), (b), (c), or (d) of this 
section, as applicable, until the air-
plane has been operated for at least 25 
hours of the operating time specified in 
§ 125.227(a) of this chapter. A total of 1 
hour of recorded data may be erased for 
the purpose of testing the flight re-
corder or the flight recorder system. 
Any erasure made in accordance with 
this paragraph must be of the oldest re-
corded data accumulated at the time of 
testing. Except as provided in para-
graph (g) of this section, no record need 
be kept more than 60 days. 

(g) In the event of an accident or oc-

currence that requires immediate noti-
fication of the National Transportation 
Safety Board under 49 CFR part 830 and 
that results in termination of the 
flight, the certificate holder shall re-
move the recording media from the air-
plane and keep the recorded data re-
quired by paragraph (a), (b), (c), or (d) 
of this section, as applicable, for at 
least 60 days or for a longer period 
upon the request of the Board or the 
Administrator. 

(h) Each flight recorder required by 

this section must be installed in ac-
cordance with the requirements of 
§ 25.1459 of this chapter in effect on Au-
gust 31, 1977. The correlation required 
by § 25.1459(c) of this chapter need be 
established only on one airplane of any 
group of airplanes. 

(1) That are of the same type; 
(2) On which the flight recorder mod-

els and their installations are the 
same; and 

(3) On which there are no differences 

in the type design with respect to the 
installation of the first pilot’s instru-
ments associated with the flight re-
corder. The most recent instrument 
calibration, including the recording 
medium from which this calibration is 
derived, and the recorder correlation 
must be retained by the certificate 
holder. 

(i) Each flight recorder required by 

this section that records the data spec-
ified in paragraphs (a), (b), (c), or (d) of 
this section must have an approved de-
vice to assist in locating that recorder 
under water. 

(j) After August 20, 2001, this section 

applies only to the airplane models 
listed in § 125.226(l)(2). All other air-
planes must comply with the require-
ments of § 125.226. 

[Doc. No. 25530, 53 FR 26148, July 11, 1988; 53 
FR 30906, Aug. 16, 1988; Amdt. 125–54, 73 FR 
12568, Mar. 7, 2008] 

§ 125.226

Digital flight data recorders. 

(a) Except as provided in paragraph 

(l) of this section, no person may oper-
ate under this part a turbine-engine- 
powered transport category airplane 
unless it is equipped with one or more 
approved flight recorders that use a 
digital method of recording and storing 
data and a method of readily retrieving 
that data from the storage medium. 
The operational parameters required to 
be recorded by digital flight data re-
corders required by this section are as 
follows: the phrase ‘‘when an informa-
tion source is installed’’ following a pa-
rameter indicates that recording of 
that parameter is not intended to re-
quire a change in installed equipment: 

(1) Time; 
(2) Pressure altitude; 
(3) Indicated airspeed; 

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