Definition
A crash-protected onboard recording device that continuously captures key flight parameters — such as altitude, airspeed, heading, vertical acceleration, control inputs, and engine data — for later retrieval and analysis after an incident or accident. It is housed in a brightly painted, impact- and fire-resistant case fitted with an underwater locator beacon.
Plain English
A tough, sealed box on the aircraft that constantly records what the airplane is doing, so investigators can find out exactly what happened if there is an accident.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft equipment descriptions, maintenance requirements, and accident or incident investigation reports, especially for larger commercial aircraft.
Why Pilots Care
Provides objective data that helps determine what happened in an incident, supports safety improvements, and meets regulatory requirements for most commercial and many general aviation aircraft.
Intuition Check
A Flight Data Recorder is not the same as a cockpit voice recorder. It records aircraft performance and system information, not the pilots' conversation.
Example Sentence 1
Investigators recovered the Flight Data Recorder from the wreckage and used it to reconstruct the airplane's final minutes of flight.
Example Sentence 2
Maintenance personnel checked the flight data recorder as part of the required post-flight inspection.