Pilot missing after F/A18's collide over the Pacific

[Balog]

http://www.stripes.com/news/one-pilot-missing-one-stable-after-2-f-a-18-hornets-crash-in-pacific-1.302695

They were operating off the USS Carl Vinson. I hope they can find the missing pilot. 

[freakazoid]

The search continues.

[Balog]

I'm surprised they haven't been able to locate his epirb (I believe that's the correct acronym) yet.

[Boomhauer]

I'm surprised they haven't been able to locate his epirb (I believe that's the correct acronym) yet.

ELT (at least that is what it is called on the civil aviation side) Same thing basically as the EPIRB (typically denotes maritime usage). The military probably calls it something different yet. Civil aviation ones are activated either by g-force impact or if the pilot activates it, I think the military ones activate upon ejection (typically)

Remember though, it's no good at all if the device is at the bottom of the ocean, which is likely the case. Pilot probably never ejected, or the ejection was unsuccessful.

[Northwoods]

ELT's are airplane equipment.  EPIRB's are personal equipment.

[BobR]

IIRC, the locater beacon is located in the seat pan of the ejection seat so it stays with the pilot in case of ejection. Whether over land or over water once the pilot is separated from the seat, the seat pan stays with him. Usually if there is no beacon the outlook is very grim. I have searched thousands of square miles of ocean looking for an F14 crew following a distress call. They were pretty sure they ejected but they were never found.

bob

[French G.]

All of my time on gray floatie thingies indicates if they didn't find them by now then no one will be found. It's a big ocean. I've been there when people fell overboard in broad daylight, with floatation, were immediately seen, and still went unrecovered because they drowned before the boat could get to them. Last F-18 that was lost from a ship I was on there was enough recovered wreckage to fill a 1 meter cube cardboard box, AKA tri-wall. Not much more from the S-3. Sucks.