Searchers used direction finding equipment to locate an unregistered ELT in approximately two hours.
For everyone’s safety, aircraft owners are encouraged to properly register their ELTs.
ELT registration provides RCCs with the aircraft owner’s emergency point-of-contact information that can be used to confirm a false alert and mitigate time spent on non-emergency tasks.
To further help prevent future false alerts, the Civil Air Patrol emphasized the importance for aircraft owners to regularly service their beacons and to check that they are turned off when not in use, especially after landing. AKRCC search and rescue personnel recommend that all Alaska aircraft owners register their ELTs at: https://beaconregistration.noaa.gov.
Read more here:
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/489228/aviation-distress-signal-draws-rapid-multi-agency-response-merrill-field-airport