What does an FDR "fail" light indicate?

An FDR "fail" light indicates that the Integrated Data Acquisition and Recording System (IDARS) has encountered a failure. This signal is crucial for maintenance personnel and operators to assess the functionality of the system, as it alerts them to troubleshoot and rectify issues that could affect data collection and system operation. The presence of a "fail" light denotes that the information recorded by IDARS might not be reliable, and corrective measures must be taken to restore full operational capability. This differs from other indicators, which denote normal operation, clear memory status, or battery levels, rather than a malfunction.