The linked opinion is an opinion piece, one person’s analysis, which does not even reprint the Pilot’s Union Statement. This article does reprint it. You might

The linked opinion is an opinion piece, one person’s analysis, which does not even reprint the Pilot’s Union Statement. This article does reprint it. You might want to skim to that statement to both hear the other side and also to answer your question. https://liveandletsfly.com/american-airlines-pilots-recorded-interview/ https://liveandletsfly.com/american-airlines-pilots-recorded... But bottom line, the pilots are holding all the cards because there is no legal basis to require a recording. If the NTSB wants an interview, their only choice is to ditch the recordings. One can draw their own conclusions about why the NTSB is choosing not to interview instead.