The High Court has decided against forcing Aer Lingus to release cockpit voice recordings to a member of cabin crew, Vicki Purtill, who is suing the airline for injuries allegedly sustained during a hard landing in Boston in 2019.
The court ruled that compelling the disclosure of cockpit voice recordings without compelling justification could have a “chilling affect” on the aviation industry, as it may lead pilots to be more cautious in their communications and discourage the use of voice recording equipment.
The airline will provide Purtill with relevant flight-monitoring data, including records of flight data indicating landing forces five seconds before and after touchdown.
If Purtill can prove that flight data monitoring outside the given ten-second window is relevant to the case, she may be granted additional discovery.
The airline has also been instructed to release data regarding the seating locations of other cabin crew members on the same flight, as Purtill claims they were also injured.
