On 2010-08-18 11:12 AM, JThomas Terry wrote:
Makes for interesting reading; seems the great 406 ELT's may not be
any better than our 121's
I'm not inclined to credit this failure with any significance at this time.
The first main fault of the old ELTs was the chronic failure (90%?) of
the automatic triggering mechanism to trigger the ELT. I think this was
being remediated toward the end since, I think, many or most of the
newly sold old-style ELTs came with a switch to mount on the panel to
trigger the ELT. [Statistic made up on the spot, per standard procedure
but based on many things I've read.]
I would assert my WAG that there's a 80% chance this new-style ELT
failed because its automatic trigger failed to turn it on.
The next levels of fault fault are
Installation. If the ELT is installed in a poor location where
the ELT brakes free from the antenna cable or if the antenna gets
sheered off, then it fails.
Bad luck: Sometimes the plane comes to rest in a way that the
antenna is under the fuselage or is otherwise blocked.
I suppose it occasionally happens that the battery could be dead or
the internal electronics could fail.
At least with the new 406 ELTs, if it gets switched on you have WAY much
better chance of quick rescue than with the old-style ELTs.
I figure I'll want a nice big panic button on my panel that I could slap
in a half-second if an emergency occurs. I'll be happy to call in and
apologize and thank them for their service if I make a successful
landing. If my landing fails or worse, having slapped that button could
give some broadcast time to the ELT before the fuselage gets to the ground.
JMHO
Ed
