An emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal, typically indicating a downed aircraft or individuals in distress following a plane crash, triggered panic for three hours near Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur, Maharashtra, officials reported on Saturday.
An ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) is a battery-powered device that transmits signals and is designed to activate automatically upon a strong impact to an aircraft. Alternatively, it can be manually activated by the pilot through a switch in the cockpit.
The ELT signal was detected by Air Traffic Control near Mohgaon Zilpi, within the Hingna police station limits, in the northeast airspace near the international airport on Friday, an official reported.
“Police was alerted at 7:30pm and teams were dispatched for a search operation. Despite a thorough search over a vast area, no sign of any aircraft crash was found. The search was called off at 10:30pm after verification that it was a false alarm,” he said.
The official added that an investigation is underway to determine whether the signal was a genuine distress call or the result of a technical malfunction.
(With PTI inputs)
