AMC 29.1460 Data link recorders

1. General

The installation of a recorder with an ETSO authorisation against ETSO-C177 (or equivalent standard accepted by EASA) satisfies the approval requirement in CS 29.1460(a).

In showing compliance with CS 29.1460, the applicant should take into account EUROCAE Document ED-112A, ‘Minimum Operational Performance Specification for Crash Protected Airborne Recorder Systems’, dated September 2013, or standard later revision.

‘DLR system’ designates the data link recorder (DLR) and its dedicated equipment. It may include the following items as appropriate to the aircraft:

a. A crash-protected recorder.

b. Digital interface equipment suitable for converting a data link communication message into a format which is to be recorded.

c. Digital data buses and/or networks providing communications between the elements of the system.

The data link recording function may be performed by:

a. a cockpit voice recorder;

b. a flight data recorder;

c. a flight data and cockpit voice combination recorder; or

d. a dedicated data link recorder.

2. Combination recorders

Refer to the paragraph of AMC 29.1457 titled ‘Combination recorder’.

3. Recorded data

The recorded data should be sufficient to allow investigators, in the framework of an accident or incident investigation, to accurately reconstruct the sequence of data link communications between the aircraft and the air traffic service units, other aircraft and other entities. For this purpose, the data link recording should comply with the following:

a. EUROCAE Document ED-93, ‘Minimum Aviation System Performance Specification for CNS/ATM Message Recording Systems’, Section 2.3.1, ‘Choice of recording points’, and Section 2.3.2, ‘Choice of data to be recorded on board the aircraft’; and

b. EUROCAE Document ED-112A, ‘Minimum Operational Performance Specification for Crash Protected Airborne Recorder Systems’ (dated September 2013), Part IV, Chapter IV-2, Section IV-2.1.6, ‘Data to be recorded’.

4. Instructions for continued airworthiness (ICAs)

When developing the ICAs for the DLR system, required by CS 29.1529 and its Appendix A, the applicant should address all failures that may affect the correct functioning of the DLR system or the integrity of the recorded information.

Examples of failures (indicative and non-exhaustive list):

— The loss of the recording function or of the acquisition function of the DLR.

— Part of the data link communication (required by CS 29.1460(a) or by the Air Operations Regulation) is missing or is corrupted.

— The failure of a means to facilitate the finding of the DLR recording medium after an accident (e.g. an underwater locating device or an emergency locator transmitter attached to the recorder).

— The failure of a means to detect a crash impact (for the purpose of stopping the recording after a crash impact, or for the purpose of deploying the recorder if it is deployable).

In addition, the ICAs should include the following, unless the applicant shows that this is not applicable:

— Documentation to perform the following:

i. convert the recorded data back to the original format of the data link communication messages;

ii. retrieve the time and the priority of each recorded message; and

iii. correlate the recorded messages with the FDR and CVR recordings.

[Amdt 29/9]