Quoting the interim report about the Spanish Sar Aw139 :
The helicopter’s emergency locator transmitter (ELT) beacon failed to activate.
5.3.
Emergency radiobeacon
The emergency beacon, manufactured by HR Smith 15-503-134-1, was found separated
from the support that attached it to the fuselage. The rest of the system, consisting of
the beacon ejection unit, the attachment unit and the configuration unit, was removed
from the fuselage, preserved in fresh water and sent to the manufacturer for analysis.
The beacon itself was not found.
The manufacturer concluded that the beacon ejection was triggered by g-forces above
the limit value and that the ejection process appeared to have been normal. No more
definitive conclusions could be drawn because the beacon, which contains the
transmitter and antenna, was not found.
Regards
Aser