The Sterile Cockpit Rule is a regulation requiring pilots to refrain
from non-essential activities during critical phases of flight, normally below
10,000 feet. The FAA imposed the rule in 1981( and adopted by most regulatory
bodies) after reviewing a series of accidents that were caused by flight crews
who were distracted from their flying duties by engaging in non-essential
conversations and activities during critical parts of the flight. One such
notable accident was Eastern Air Lines Flight
212, which crashed just short of the runway at Charlotte/Douglas
International Airport in 1974 while conducting
an instrument approach in dense fog. The National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that a probable cause of the accident was distraction due to
idle chatter among the flight crew during the approach phase of the flight.