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.