Some have suggested that it stems from Hussenot's device, because it used film and "ran continuously in a light-tight box, hence the name 'black box,'" according to Airbus, which noted that orange was the box's chosen color from the beginning to make it easy to find.

Sixty-seven people died in a collision between a Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet operated by PSA Airlines and a military Black Hawk helicopter.

The NTSB said a preliminary report, to be released within a month, will contain "factual information" gathered in the investigation.