- Joined
- Dec 27, 2017
- Messages
- 1,524
- Reaction score
- 664
This weekend I encountered my second ELT signal in my airplane. Of course, both times, I thought it was a me. And the truth is, I don't know if it was. The first time was about 4 months ago. I landed at 2RR and I'll admit, it wasn't my finest landing....it happens. I heard an ELT. I assumed it was me. I found out quickly enough that my remote switch is broken. So, I pulled the cover in the tail and tried every position and the signal wouldn't change (OFF/ARMED/TEST). Eventually, I gave up and went to lunch anyway, as that was my plan. When I got back to the airplane about an hour later, it was quiet. BUT, the airplane next to me was gone. Was it me? I don't know.
Then, this last Saturday, I fire up to go flying and I hear the siren. Me again? No clue. No bumps, nothing. In fact, I wasn't even tuned into 121.5 at this time and still heard it a tiny bit in the headset. It was 37 minutes after the hour, no tests should have been going on then. I took off anyway, still heard it for a while. I switched freqs, worried that I was going to have to troubleshoot again at my destination. When I tuned the freq back in some time later, silence. Was it me? I don't know.
So, twice now, I've been flying aroung listening to an ELT siren, with a guilty conscience. Both times, through no apparent action of my own, it stopped eventually.
Evidence suggests, but does not prove, that both times, the source was not me.
A couple questions:
1. If an ELT goes off, how long should it emit the signal with no interaction? Is it feasible to assume that if I did nothing and my signal stopped within an hour or so that it wasn't my signal?
2. If in a position where your ELT is going off and for whatever reason you cannot make it stop, what is the best "CYA" procedure? Report it? To who? Call flightservice?
Then, this last Saturday, I fire up to go flying and I hear the siren. Me again? No clue. No bumps, nothing. In fact, I wasn't even tuned into 121.5 at this time and still heard it a tiny bit in the headset. It was 37 minutes after the hour, no tests should have been going on then. I took off anyway, still heard it for a while. I switched freqs, worried that I was going to have to troubleshoot again at my destination. When I tuned the freq back in some time later, silence. Was it me? I don't know.
So, twice now, I've been flying aroung listening to an ELT siren, with a guilty conscience. Both times, through no apparent action of my own, it stopped eventually.
Evidence suggests, but does not prove, that both times, the source was not me.
A couple questions:
1. If an ELT goes off, how long should it emit the signal with no interaction? Is it feasible to assume that if I did nothing and my signal stopped within an hour or so that it wasn't my signal?
2. If in a position where your ELT is going off and for whatever reason you cannot make it stop, what is the best "CYA" procedure? Report it? To who? Call flightservice?
