Flight Recorder Data Recovery and Analysis

Flight Recorder Playback Centre

The Flight Recorder Playback Centre (FRPC) recovers and analyzes information from flight data recorders (FDRs), cockpit voice recorders (CVRs), video sources, surveillance radar, and air traffic control tapes.

Funded jointly by the National Research Council and the Canadian Department of National Defence, the FRPC's primary role is recovering information from accidents and incidents involving Canadian military aircraft equipped with recording devices.

The FRPC has special techniques to accommodate a wide range of recording formats and to deal with the unique problems presented by extreme accident environments. Its skill in handling and retrieving data from damaged FDRs and CVRs has gained international recognition. For two decades now, the FRPC has been involved in virtually every aircraft accident investigation in Canada. This wealth of experience was behind the retrieval of crucial data from a burned FDR tape recovered from a crashed B-737. The FRPC was able to identify the cause of a helicopter crash by separating rotor vibration from background noise on an air traffic control recording of a May Day call. The FRPC also offers substantial benefits to commercial carriers, giving them access to expert analysis and calibration of FDRs and CVRs without investing in ground playback equipment.