What types of avionic and flight data sources are typically reviewed?

• A. Stored data from flight data recorders or cockpit voice recorders, maintenance logs, weight and balance data, and performance records.
• B. Social media posts by crew.
• C. Passenger manifest data only.
• D. Ground radio transcripts.

Answer: (A)

During aviation investigations, the most informative avionic and flight data come from on-board data sources and related records. Stored data from flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders capture time-stamped flight parameters and cockpit communications, letting investigators reconstruct how the aircraft actually behaved and what the crew said and did. Maintenance logs provide the airworthiness history and detail repairs or recurring issues that could affect reliability. Weight and balance data and performance records help determine loading, center of gravity, fuel state, and whether the aircraft would have performed as expected under given conditions.

Other materials like crew social media posts or passenger manifests aren’t used for technical avionic/flight data, and ground radio transcripts, while potentially useful for context, don’t constitute the primary on-board data sources.