Opinion: It Is Time For Cameras In The Cockpit

In aviation, uncertainty is dangerous—not just in the skies, but in the aftermath of a crash.

When we don’t know the probable cause after an accident, misinformation and speculation fill the void. That’s why the U.S. Transportation Department and the Federal Aviation Administration need to act quickly to finally require cockpit video recorders in commercial aircraft.

Cockpit video recorders, like the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), are essential safety tools to help the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determine the probable cause of accidents. The NTSB first recommended the installation of cockpit video recorders more than two decades ago.

We learned this lesson with EgyptAir Flight 990. In November 1999, that Boeing 767ER mysteriously crashed off Nantucket, Massachusetts, killing all 217 people on board.

After an extended investigation, the NTSB concluded that the relief first officer likely pushed the aircraft into a fatal dive—deliberately. The CVR captured the repeated phrase—“I rely on God”—as the captain reentered the cockpit and appeared to fight to recover the aircraft. But without video, we were left with many unanswered questions. Was there a physical struggle?

Were they the only two in the cockpit and most importantly whose hand turned the engines off leading to the fatal plunge?

The lack of conclusive visual evidence meant that for some, the probable cause could never be accepted and the Government of Egypt eventually refused to agree with the NTSB findings. And that’s not an isolated case.

In recent years, we’ve seen a tragic string of suspected pilot suicides: LAM Mozambique Flight 470 in 2013, Germanwings Flight 9525 in 2015, and China Eastern Flight 5735 in 2022. In each instance, investigators faced the same problem—compelling evidence from radar and the FDR and CVR but no confirming video from inside the cockpit. As a result, factual questions remain unresolved, undermining public confidence and delaying critical safety and security improvements.

The pilot unions have opposed cockpit cameras, raising concerns over privacy and the potential misuse of recordings by management and regulators. These concerns are not trivial—but they are manageable. CVRs are already handled with extraordinary care, shielded from public release by criminal statutes, and used solely for safety investigations.

The pilot unions’ arguments that cameras would erode cockpit trust rings hollow. Pilots are already among the most scrutinized professionals in the transportation sector. Far from eroding trust, video can help vindicate pilots when accidents are caused by equipment failure, unexpected medical events, or external interference.

As former leaders of the NTSB, we have seen firsthand how painful uncertainty is—it leads to conspiracy theories and undermines the public’s confidence in the entire aviation system. For families who’ve lost loved ones, the absence of answers compounds their grief. For regulators, it delays safety reforms. For the public, it breeds doubt in a system that demands transparency and accountability and most of all trust.

Today, newly manufactured aircraft can be equipped with video systems at modest cost, and a phased retrofit program for existing fleets is both realistic and reasonable.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has already shown a strong commitment to improving aviation safety. Now, he has an opportunity to lead on an issue that has languished for too long. By backing an immediate rulemaking initiative to mandate cockpit video recorders, Secretary Duffy can help ensure that future investigations are based not on speculation or inference—but on irrefutable facts.

It’s time to stop flying blind in our investigations. Let’s give our safety experts all the tools available to do their jobs on behalf of the American people.

James E. Hall was Chairman of the NTSB from 1994-2001 Peter Goelz worked at the NTSB from 1995-2000 and was Managing Director from 1996-2000.