Safety board asks helicopter makers to install ‘black boxes’

(AP) Federal safety investigators are going over the heads of aviation regulators by urging leading helicopter manufacturers to install so-called black boxes that would help determine the cause of crashes like the one that killed former NBA star Kobe Bryant.

The National Transportation Safety Board appealed directly to six manufacturers after the Federal Aviation Administration failed to act on the board’s recommendations to require the devices on most helicopters.

The safety board says flight-data and cockpit-voice recorders can help investigators determine the cause of a crash and prevent future accidents.

The helicopter that carried Bryant and crashed in January in Southern California did not have recorders.