[Jet Jaguar]

The flight data recorders are crash survivable. Therefore, the weigh a lot. Also, they must be secured to a rack or mount in the aircraft. Additionally, they have to be connected to sensors and computers through wire harnesses. How they are currently secured into the aircraft, if the area of said aircraft sinks, the recorders sink with them.

[liveoak4]

back in the late 60s when the lockheed C-141 starlifter was being built ..there was a deployable ELT emergency locator transmitter ...built into the top of the horizontal stabilizer .it was shaped like and airfoil ..so could be deployed by crew while aircraft was still airborne ..not perfect system but for a lost aircraft gave some hope of being found ..satellite's would make this approach better now ,because back then other aircraft did the looking for distress signals.. not sure if they have deployable units anymore..kind of a simple concept ..not to many starlifters went down ..great aircraft by lockheed