The RCCNZ says a lot happens behind the little red ELT switch, which you may not fully appreciate.
An international system of satellites keep watch over the globe day-in and day-out from an altitude of 20,000 kilometres.
Ever watchful, they monitor constantly for distress signals and send that information to rescue coordination centres (RCCs) around the world.
Wreckage located
In early 2025, a number of these satellites detected the signal of an aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter, or ELT, from the rugged terrain of the South Island of New Zealand.
Within 60 seconds, the Rescue Coordination Centre – RCCNZ1 – in Lower Hutt had received the alert. Search and rescue officers assessed the location of the ELT and its registration details.
Normally, an ELT can be relied on to provide an exact position, but this is not always the case. In this instance, the satellites could only determine a location with a margin of error of 30 kilometres from where the ELT was transmitting.
There are a few reasons why a satellite cannot pinpoint the location of an active ELT, including:
- the aircraft could have been in a hangar and the roof was blocking the signal, known as ‘shielding’. This could imply the activation of the ELT was in error, usually when an aircraft is in maintenance.
- the aircraft was in flight and wasn’t able to generate an accurate position. There could be an in-flight emergency or the ELT was simply activated in error.
The most concerning possibility is that the aerial or ELT could have been damaged during an accident or forced landing. An ELT is designed to activate on impact but the unit itself can be damaged.
All ELTs and other distress beacons are required to be registered with the national distress beacon database. Officers check the database before dispatching a rescue team.
In the above instance, the ELT was registered to a commercial helicopter operator. Search and rescue officers called the designated contacts in the registration database, and they quickly advised that the aircraft was on a commercial job with one pilot and one passenger.
The commercial operator was also able to provide RCCNZ with tracking information.
This allowed RCCNZ to send a rescue helicopter with appropriate medical aid to the scene. The passenger had also activated a personal locator beacon (PLB) which was a valuable backup to the aircraft’s ELT, and led rescuers straight to the scene.
Both on board had sustained moderate injuries.
The response by the operator and RCCNZ was smooth and timely, but this isn’t always the case. This incident could have been very different.
“An alarming number of organisations and individuals have incorrect or outdated registration information for their aircraft,” says Search and Rescue Officer Tom Rae.
“Sometimes a call is made to a person who left the organisation several years before. In some cases, with private aircraft, we’ve called the distress contacts to find the aircraft has changed hands several times over the years without the ELT registration being updated.”
Fortunately, most ELT activations are during maintenance or are inadvertent, but having incorrect registration information is, according to Tom, “a disaster waiting to happen”.
He asks, “If an accident happened to your aircraft, does RCCNZ have the correct contact details to respond in a quick and accurate fashion?”
Half of all distress beacons are registered incorrectly
Having your beacon registration up-to-date with current contacts could save your life. Photo courtesy of RCCNZ.
In the last 10 years, nearly 9000 distress beacons of all types have been activated in New Zealand and its surrounding air and sea. This number includes more than 1500 ELTs.
RCCNZ has found only 51 percent of all distress beacons are correctly registered when they’re activated, including ELTs. That means when the alarm sounds in the RCCNZ’s operations room, search and rescue officers can’t access the information they need without conducting an investigation.
“Your distress contacts can inform the RCC of important details, such as the number of people on board, aircraft type, the route taken, any hazards associated with the aircraft, or medical needs of those on board.”
Your emergency contacts can usually also advise if the ELT has been inadvertently activated. ELTs can be triggered without you knowing, such as during a hard landing, or an equipment malfunction.
“RCCNZ needs to be able to call you or your emergency contact immediately to get you to check if that’s the case,” says Tom.
Not only could it save your life, you could save someone else’s.
“Dedicated aeromedical aircraft and dedicated search and rescue aircraft are limited in number.
“So RCCNZ could be looking for you, when actually, you’re safe and sound in a café somewhere! The aircraft we use to look for you – if we can’t establish the reason for an ELT activation – could otherwise be used to provide life-saving help to someone else genuinely in need.
“You don’t want to be that person.”
When you buy or sell an aircraft, the ELT is not transferred into the new owner’s name, so, as the new owner, this is your responsibility.
The new owner must also nominate some trusted distress contacts. Make sure everyone knows their obligations when this transaction occurs. Visit beacons.org.nz to register, check, or edit your registration. It’s free.
Knowing is half the battle
“If your ELT activates, it might provide only a poor position due to impact damage or terrain shielding. Having another safety net – a PLB, your own flight following, or a SARtime – improves your survivability chances.
“We have a lot of advanced tools and experienced searchers, but as the saying goes, ‘knowing is half the battle’,” says Tom Rae.
Actions you can take
Save the RCCNZ’s number to your phone now – 04 577 8030 – and call immediately if your ELT activates, for any reason.
Make sure you regularly update your ELT or PLB registration.
If you’re an aircraft owner, now is a good time to check your details are correct. If you manage an aero club, all aircraft beacon registrations should be checked frequently, especially if there’s been a turnover of staff.
Not only is it good airmanship to keep your registration up-to-date, but, as an aircraft operator, you’re required under CAR 91.529 Aircraft emergency location system (AELS) and ELT to inform RCCNZ of your relevant emergency contact details.
If you aren’t sure whether your registration is correct, contact beacons@maritimenz.govt.nz or call 0800 406 111 during office hours.
More information
Read about how a pilot and his passenger had help within minutes after their aircraft crashed in 2021, partly because the PLB registration was up-to-date.
Vector Online: The value of preparedness - from Vector, Autumn 2022
Footnotes
1 The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) is New Zealand’s national search and rescue organisation and is operated by Maritime New Zealand.
Main photo courtesy of RCCNZ.