Originally Posted by
BOAC_Silver_Surfer
Please excuse my ignorence but I have a question (I'm not a flyer)
As aircraft fly a lot over sea, why do they not have an EPIRB that operates completely seperate and independent of any other system on board ?
They are cheap, reliable and seem to save a lot of lives.
Would you care to explain how you think an EPIRB would have saved lives in this case? The aircraft is equipped with an ELT, it has radios galore, and the life rafts also have survival gear. For locating the aircraft once it is underwater, the acoustic beacons are already fitted. What would the EPIRB do that installed equipment cannot already?