I was just reading the latest AAIB which included a long (23 pages, no less) report on a fatal H369HS accident near Biggin Hill UK in July 03 -
http://www.aaib.gov.uk/sites/aaib/cm...ces/G-CSPJ.pdf
The report is inconclusive and has two safety recommendations:-
Safety Recommendation 2004-84
The Department for Transport should urge the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to promote the safety benefits of fitting, as a minimum, cockpit voice recording equipment to all aircraft operating with a Certificate of Airworthiness in the Commercial Air Transport category, regardless of weight or age.
Safety Recommendation 2004-85
The Department for Transport should urge the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to promote research into the design and development of inexpensive, lightweight, airborne flight data and voice recording equipment. In a letter to the AAIB dated 14 October 2004 the Department for Transport gave its full support to these two safety recommendations.
CVRs and FDRs have got to be "a good thing", but at what cost (in terms of weight in a small helicopter, etc). No doubt there will be lots of opinions on this!