Germanwings plane crash stirs debate regarding cameras in cockpits

Recent plane crashes are stirring debate about whether or not cameras should be placed in cockpits.

Some argue that video could provide critical information for investigators but many pilots don't like the idea.

Many pilots see it as an invasion of privacy. They also argue video recordings could be made public or land online after an accident.

Pilots say current voice and data recorders, that closely monitor all audio and data, are sufficient.

The use of video cameras was first proposed in 2000 by the National Transportation Safety Board arguing cameras provide critical visual information – or the missing link in unsolved accidents.

"We can actually see where the hands were, where the people were. Sometimes they get out of their seats. Sometimes we see a lever, like a throttle pulled back. We don't know if it was the captain or the first officer. The cliché that a picture's worth a thousand words is never more true when you're trying to solve an accident mystery," says Lan Diehl, former NTSB investigator and aviation expert.

Proponents say privacy safeguards could protect pilots.

Still the Airline Pilots Association says the costs of adding cameras are not worth it.