There have been many cases of light aircraft forced landing and/or crashing and the crew being picked up by S&R helicopters in the UK over the years.
Airliners come down much less frequently but due to higher speeds etc the ELT is still a great aid for S&R but sadly more likely to aid in finding wreckage than survivors.
In almost every crash an ELT will have been involved in locating the site but this never makes the press, they just report that wreckage, with or without survivors, has been located.