Lack of AirAsia transmitter activation 'strange'
An aviation expert has questioned why the electronic locator transmitter on the AirAsia plane missing since yesterday morning did not activate.
Captain Des Ross, an aviation security and risk assessment specialist, said all modern aircraft were fitted with an electronic locator transmitter (ELT) that automatically activated when an aircraft crashed, whether into water or on land.
He said the information from the transmitter would be sent to satellites and then onto search and rescue agencies.
“It’s pretty bad luck if that doesn’t work,” Captain Ross told News Corp.
“It’s not intended to be disabled.
“Even if you disconnect the power entirely it’s still got a battery in it.”
He described the transmitters as ‘normally pretty reliable devices’, but questioned why nothing had been mentioned about them in the case of the missing AirAsia plane, or the disappearance of MH370.
“That’s a little bit strange,” he said.
He even drew comparisons between the disappearances of both flights, saying they were ‘somewhat similar’.
“That’s the scary part. It just disappeared from the screen, with no communication whatsoever,” he said.
He said he believed the disappearance of QZ8501 was wheater ‘related’, saying the weather could have brought down the aircraft, but added: “the aircraft should not have been there if the weather was that bad.”
Morning news break – December 29
