Definition
A device installed in an aircraft for the purpose of complementing accident or incident investigation. It records specified flight parameters and/or cockpit audio, and is built to survive the forces, fire, and water exposure typical of an accident so that the recorded data can be recovered and analyzed afterward.
Plain English
A tough onboard recorder that captures what the aircraft and its crew were doing, so investigators can find out what happened after a crash or serious incident.
Context Anchor
You will usually see this term in aircraft equipment rules, safety discussions, and accident or incident investigation material.
Derivation
From 'flight' (the act of flying) and 'recorder' (a device that captures information for later review). The [ICAO] tag indicates the wording comes from the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations body that sets worldwide aviation standards.
Why Pilots Care
Ensures compliance with international standards and supports safety improvements by revealing causes of incidents.
Intuition Check
A flight recorder is not a pilot logbook or a normal cockpit note-taking device. In this context, it means installed aircraft equipment that automatically saves flight information for later investigation.
Example Sentence 1
After the incident, investigators recovered the flight recorder from the wreckage and downloaded its data within 48 hours.
Example Sentence 2
Before dispatch the crew confirmed the flight recorder was serviceable and had sufficient recording time remaining.