Has the change from "Hard wired"121.5 beacons to 406 hand helds in most light aircraft contributed to not finding this aircraft?
I would presume the last thing you would be thinking of that close to the earths surface would be getting the 406 beacon from behind a seat, jammed in a seat pocket and activating it.
Should the 406 beacons be hard wired like the old 121.5????
Folks,
To get a few facts straight,
the failure rate of "hard wired" ELT in actual accident scenarios is about
95%, except where the aircraft goes into the water, then the failure rate is 100%.
See CASA figures from the post implementation study, which confirmed the AOPA research into actual accidents, published in 1995.
There never was a final regulation in Australia to force the fitting of fixed ELT, it was repealed in about 1996, and the "new" regulations made at the same time.
Tootle pip!!