ELT Inspections
Annual inspections should be required to ensure that emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) in general aviation aircraft have been mounted and retained according to manufacturer specifications, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says.
The NTSB recommended that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) require the inspections as part of annual aircraft maintenance inspections. The NTSB also said that the FAA should determine whether the ELT mounting requirements and retention tests specified by Technical Standard Orders (TSOs) C-91a and C-126 are “adequate to assess retention capabilities in ELT designs” and, if necessary, should revise TSO requirements to ensure proper retention of ELTs in the event of a crash.
In making the recommendations, the NTSB cited the Aug. 9, 2010, crash of a de Havilland Turbine Otter in a mountainous area near Aleknagik, Alaska. The pilot and four passengers, including former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens of Alask…
