FAA Adopts Upgrades for Aircraft “Black Boxes”
"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated significant upgrades to aircraft cockpit voice and flight data recorders — improvements that will enable investigators to retrieve more data from accidents and incidents requiring investigation...

Under the final rule, which affects manufacturers and operators of airplanes and helicopters with 10 or more seats, all voice recorders must capture the last two hours of cockpit audio instead of the current 15 to 30 minutes. The new rule also requires an independent backup power source for the voice recorders to allow continued recording for nine to 11 minutes if all aircraft power sources are lost or interrupted. Voice recorders also must use solid state technology instead of magnetic tape, which is vulnerable to damage and loss of reliability."