Abstract
Nearly all civil aviation authorities have protections in place to prevent the inappropriate use of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) information. Despite this clear wording and protections, and even in those Member States having fully incorporated Annex 13 into their national legislation, CVR data continues to be used for purposes other than what was intended, and is being leaked/given to the media or appears on the internet.
ICAO has extensive provisions addressing CVR inspection, which can be found in Annex 6, Part I, Appendix 8, para. 7. In theory, these provisions should ensure the proper operation of the CVR. This paper outlines IFALPA's position on accessing CVR data for maintenance purposes.