49 U.S.C. § 44712: Emergency locator transmitters

An emergency locator transmitter must be installed on a fixed-wing powered civil aircraft for use in air commerce. turbojet-powered aircraft; aircraft when used in scheduled flights by scheduled air carriers holding certificates issued by the Secretary of Transportation under subpart II of this part; aircraft when used in training operations conducted entirely within a 50 mile radius of the airport from which the training operations begin; aircraft when used in flight operations related to design and testing, the manufacture, preparation, and delivery of the aircraft, or the aerial application of a substance for an agricultural purpose; aircraft holding certificates from the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration for research and development; aircraft when used for showing compliance with regulations, crew training, exhibition, air racing, or market surveys; and aircraft equipped to carry only one individual. aircraft when used in scheduled flights by scheduled air carriers holding certificates issued by the Secretary of Transportation under subpart II of this part; aircraft when used in training operations conducted entirely within a 50-mile radius of the airport from which the training operations begin; aircraft when used in flight operations related to the design and testing, manufacture, preparation, and delivery of aircraft; aircraft when used in research and development if the aircraft holds a certificate from the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to carry out such research and development; aircraft when used in showing compliance with regulations, crew training, exhibition, air racing, or market surveys; aircraft when used in the aerial application of a substance for an agricultural purpose; aircraft with a maximum payload capacity of more than 18,000 pounds when used in air transportation; or aircraft equipped to carry only one individual. a safe and orderly transition to the operation of civil aircraft equipped with an emergency locator; or other safety objectives. An aircraft meets the requirement of subsection (a) if it is equipped with an emergency locator transmitter that transmits on the 121.5/243 megahertz frequency or the 406 megahertz frequency or with other equipment approved by the Secretary for meeting the requirement of subsection (a). The Administrator shall prescribe regulations specifying the conditions under which an aircraft subject to subsection (a) of this section may operate when its emergency locator transmitter has been removed for inspection, repair, alteration, or replacement. As part of the annual inspection of general aviation aircraft, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall require a detailed inspection of each emergency locator transmitter (in this section referred to as an ‘ELT’) installed in general aviation aircraft operating in the United States to ensure that the ELT is mounted and retained in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications. Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act [ Feb. 14, 2012 ], the Administrator shall determine if the ELT mounting requirements and retention tests specified by Technical Standard Orders C91a and C126 are adequate to assess retention capabilities in ELT designs. Based on the determination under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall make any necessary revisions to the requirements and retention tests referred to in paragraph (1) to ensure that ELTs are properly retained in the event of an aircraft accident. the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives.”