The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently launched an effort to address the advanced number of false alerts from 406 MHz emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) used on aircraft last year.
The FAA released Information for Operators (InFO) 18007 to educate aviation industry personnel on steps operators can take to minimize the problem.
“False alerts generated by emergency beacons are a significant problem for SAR personnel,” said Mark Larsen, the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) senior manager of safety and flight operations. “NBAA strongly encourages its members to familiarize themselves with this new InFO and take steps to mitigate the risks of ELT false alerts.”
When an aircraft accident occurs, officials said, 406 MHz ELTs transmit a distress signal to a satellite. In 2017, the devices generated 8,786 false alarms in America, reportedly representing over 98 percent of all ELT alerts.
Accidental activations, officials said, can result in wasted resources as well as placing search-and-rescue (SAR) personnel in harm’s way unnecessarily.
The FAA said the majority of 406 false alerts occur during testing and maintenance. As a means of addressing the issue, the agency is recommending aircraft operators ensure ELT self-tests and annual tests follow the manufacturer’s instructions while also encouraging ELT registration with the NOAA Satellite-Aided Tracking (SARSAT) Beacon Registration Database so they can be contacted by phone when activation occurs.