A pet project of U.S. Rep. David Price is getting renewed attention after an Air France crash.

The Transportation Security Administration plans this summer to test a "black box" recorder that would detach from a plane during a crash, USA Today reports.

Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, has supported detachable black boxes since 2003, arguing they would help ensure that cockpit-voice and flight-data information can be recovered.

He supported the pilot program with a $3.5 million earmark in the 2008 budget and has sponsored unsuccessful legislation requiring them in the past.

The cause of a crash of Flight 447 over the Atlantic Ocean is still unknown, and investigators fear they may not be able to recover the plane's recorders.

Update: In a statement, Price noted that detachable black boxes were recommended by the 9/11 Commission.

"As this tragedy clearly demonstrates, better information for investigators cannot come too soon – both for victims' families and also to determine whether an incident may be a threat to national security," he said. 

Gov. Mike Easley's plane just landed in Southport.

After attending an economic summit held by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in Chicago this morning, Easley flew back to the Brunswick County airport on a state-owned Cessna Citation Bravo, Ben Niolet reports.

Spokesman Seth Effron said that Easley does not have any public events scheduled "at this time" down East this weekend, so he will reimburse the state for the flight.

"The taxpayers will not pay any expenses related to this travel," he said.

Easley left Raleigh-Durham International airport at 4 p.m. Thursday for Chicago Midway International and landed at 2:25 p.m. today in Brunswick County.