The quick access recorder was pioneered by British European Airways ( BEA ) on its Hawker Siddeley Trident aircraft in the 1960s as a requirement to prove the safety of the aircraft 's autoland system for certification of the autoland system by the CAA . Quick access recorders are carried by all BEA 's successor airline , British Airways ( BA ) , aircraft . Data from the Penny & Giles quick access recorder of a BA Boeing 747-400 London-Bangkok flight in which the aircraft suffered un-commanded elevator movement and momentary elevator reversal caused Boeing to implement a change in the elevator servo valve design , a modification that was applied to all Boeing 747 's in service , and suspicion of a similar original valve design arising from this BA data was subsequently used by the NTSB in the determining of the causes of the crashes of United Airlines Flight 585 and USAir Flight 427
United Airlines Flight 585
United Airlines Flight 585
Quick access recorder