Traveling by plane is now a safe mode of transportation. Still, accidents happen no matter how few and far between. That is why every aircraft needs to have an aviation ELT or emergency location transmitter in case of accidents. ELTs transmit signals on internationally recognized distress frequencies. The 406 MHz signal is monitored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center in the US.

If an ELT sends out a GPS location that is received by the geostationary satellites, search and rescue teams are often dispatched within minutes, depending on your location and the available resources. If the ELT has no GPS location information, it must wait to be received from the satellite’s Doppler location mechanism which may take up to 45 to 90 minutes in the US.