Originally Posted by
non_state_actor
The cost of a charter boat and rescue team pales into insignificance against the cost of implementing what you are suggesting. The data expense alone would be to much to bear for most airlines. Additional to cost you have no guarantee it would even work when you need it. Murphy's Law seems to magically prove itself in aviation time after time.
This would not replace the installed FDR/CDR, but complement it, with somewhat lower dependability requirements, rather more on the level of QARs already installed in most aircraft anyway. But in many cases, crucial information would indeed be available much sooner to give clues to the investigation, later to be corroborated (or not, as the unlikely case may be) and possibly complemented (for the last few seconds, perhaps) by the "definitive" FDR/CVR data.
Cheers,
Bernd