Toshiba Television Send ELT Distress Signal

October 27 - Civil Air Patrol has gotten some unexpected national publicity since Oregon CAP members tracked down an emergency distress signal that turned out to be coming from a Toshiba television set.

            A CAP squadron was assigned by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center to investigate an emergency distress signal in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Oregon CAP members and local law enforcement officials discovered that the signal was actually coming from a television set in a Corvallis man’s apartment.

            “This is definitely a first in CAP history,” said Maj. Gen. Dwight Wheless, CAP national commander. “It’s such an unusual story that it’s captured the media’s attention all over the country. Most people don’t realize how many missions our members actually perform each year to locate and verify distress signals.”

Each year CAP performs about 3,000 missions related to emergency locator transmitters (ELTs). That’s an average of about eight ELT-related missions per day nationwide. Of those, some 250-300, or about 10%, are true distress signals.

According to CAP National Headquarters Operations, the percentage of false alarms is so high because there are many older ELTs on aircraft and emergency position- indicating radio beacons on boats still used throughout the country.

As newer technology is coming into use, the percentage of false alarms continues to decrease. Only a few years ago, as many as 97% of distress signals turned out to be false alarms.

When possible, CAP members contact the owners of the aircraft or boats emitting the false distress signals and ask the owners to disable the beacons themselves. This helps notify owners that the beacons are not operating properly and also helps CAP be sure the beacons aren't "covering" a signal from an actual accident.

            In the aftermath of hurricane Charley last summer in Florida, CAP members were called out to locate hundreds of emergency beacons that were activated when hangared aircraft and docked boats were damaged in the storm. The beacons had to be located and disabled so emergency responders could differentiate any real distress signals.  

            CAP receives most of its ELT-related missions from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Langley AFB, Va. CAP members usually work with state and local agencies or law enforcement officials on such missions.

            CAP members do more than just locate ELTs, however. The members, many of whom are pilots, are trained to perform search and rescue, counter drug and security reconnaissance, and disaster impact assessment. “As the official civilian auxiliary of the Air Force, CAP is a very useful and cost-effective resource for emergency response organizations,” Wheless said.  “Our members are well-trained and effective, and they’re an incredible value since they volunteer their time.”

            Wheless says men and women join CAP for a variety of reasons. All are drawn to volunteerism and the many chances for technical and leadership training provided by the organization. Private pilots also like the chance to keep up their flying hours and skills, and the opportunity to put those skills to work in meaningful ways.

            Civil Air Patrol was first formed during World War II when civilian pilots were called into service to spot enemy submarines off the U.S. Eastern seaboard. The organization was later adopted by the Air Force as it’s auxiliary and has developed successful youth and aerospace education programs.

CAP is classified as a nonprofit organization and currently has almost 62,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 95% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. The members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 27,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has wings in every state, including Alaska, Hawaii and the District of Columbia, as well as Puerto Rico.