The idea is simple enough: What you don’t hear could kill you. The Flight Standards Service last week released an InFO to alert operators that “noise-canceling” headsets might be susceptible to “misdetection” and subsequent electronic attenuation of some things you’d probably rather hear. (Note: The memo might also pertain to what many pilots refer to as active noise reduction [ANR] headsets, but that specific verbiage was not used.) The alert states that the range of frequencies attenuated by a noise-canceling headset is often proprietary and may not be publicly available. This makes it “difficult to assess any effects” of attenuation, particularly as they pertain to things like communications, abnormal mechanical noises, audible alarms, vibrations, wind noises and other sounds that might alert an unattenuated observer to impending doom. For now, rather than regulate, the FAA’s solution involves passing the buck to you. The FAA recommends operators pursue evaluation of headsets — both in the air and on the ground — sufficient to ascertain any potentially negative effects of the headsets. Further, if any audible alarms or environmental sounds cannot be discerned, efforts should be made to find a different headset. The FAA an identifies an InFO as “valuable information for operators that should help them meet certain administrative, regulatory, or operational requirements with relatively low urgency or impact on safety.”
FAA InFO: Dangers Of Noise-Canceling (ANR) Headsets
Key Takeaways:
- Noise-canceling headsets may dangerously attenuate critical sounds such as communications, alarms, and mechanical noises, as their specific frequency attenuation ranges are often proprietary and unknown.
- The FAA issued an Information for Operators (InFO) to alert pilots and operators about this potential "misdetection" risk, emphasizing that what you don't hear could be fatal, but is not implementing new regulations.
- Operators and pilots are advised by the FAA to evaluate their headsets thoroughly, both on the ground and in flight, to ensure all essential audible cues are discernible, and to find different headsets if critical sounds cannot be clearly heard.
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