An emergency locator transmitter activates in response to what condition when subjected to a prescribed force?

An emergency locator transmitter activates in response to what condition when subjected to a prescribed force?

• A. Altitude threshold
• B. A prescribed force on the aircraft
• C. Crew command
• D. Temperature rise

Answer: (B)

An emergency locator transmitter is built to automatically activate when the aircraft undergoes a crash-type event that produces a prescribed deceleration, detected by an inertia (g) switch. When the force on the airframe exceeds the calibrated threshold, the switch closes and the beacon starts transmitting distress signals. This automatic activation is intended to ensure the ELT goes on even if the crew cannot manually activate it after a crash. Altitude alone doesn’t trigger the ELT, and a rise in temperature isn’t a triggering condition for standard ELTs. Manual activation by the crew is possible, but the scenario described is about automatic activation due to a crash-induced force, which is why this option is the best fit.

An emergency locator transmitter is built to automatically activate when the aircraft undergoes a crash-type event that produces a prescribed deceleration, detected by an inertia (g) switch. When the force on the airframe exceeds the calibrated threshold, the switch closes and the beacon starts transmitting distress signals. This automatic activation is intended to ensure the ELT goes on even if the crew cannot manually activate it after a crash.

Altitude alone doesn’t trigger the ELT, and a rise in temperature isn’t a triggering condition for standard ELTs. Manual activation by the crew is possible, but the scenario described is about automatic activation due to a crash-induced force, which is why this option is the best fit.