NTSB proposes monitoring cockpit chatter

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Federal regulators are suggesting using airline "black box" cockpit voice recorders to monitor the conversations of U.S. airline crews.

The goal is to ensure pilots are focused on flying rather than becoming engrossed in small talk that might become a distraction.

"It is essential to understand what is going on in the cockpit if we are to achieve further reductions" in accident rates, Debbie Hersman, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told USA TODAY.

The NTSB recommendation is the result of the investigations into the fatal crash of a commuter plane near Buffalo and the apparent overshooting of the airport at Minneapolis by a plane that had to double back more than 100 miles.

Cockpit voice recorders are currently only accessed by accident investigators after a crash or other emergency incident. The NTSB proposes having airline officials and representatives of the pilots union review cockpit tapes on a routine basis.

Leaders of the Allied Pilots Association, which represents crew members, said the idea was an invasion of privacy and could also make crew members less candid when expressing concerns about potential safety problems among one another while in flight.