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"Those ELT’s are designed to take quite a beating and keep on beeping. I wouldn’t think there’s enough mass in his single engine aircraft to destroy an ELT even if it hit the ground a full speed. I would sooner think he failed to test the ELT and when it was really needed it wasn’t available. There’s not a lot you can do to test them, but the battery is one area that needs to be checked regularly."

There are tests to check ELT function, I have done them many times on annual aircraft inspections. The failure rate was rather high, IMHO.

The ELT won't transmit far without the external antenna attached. A violent crash would likely strip the antenna off the turtle deck. Also, it is very possible the aircraft did not have an ELT on board. It is legal to log one out of the aircraft for maintenance. Anyone seen the acft maint logs?

The general aviation ELTs are not as robust in their construction as the "black boxes" used in transport category aircraft. Those commercial units will survive horrendous crash forces, unlike the little GA transmitters.

Good information, especially about the antenna coming loose in a crash.

That’s an awful lot of area to have to search. I remember being involved in search for a small plane that disappeared in a thunderstorm near Greenville, AL, or maybe was Evergeen, way back in the early 60’s. They gave up after a week and it wasn’t found until a couple of years ago when some hunters wandered across the wreckage and the remains of those aboard. The woods up there are such that if the plane goes in anything like vertical the trees just swallow it up and it’s very difficult to see it from the air.

My prayers go out for him, but I fear with the passing of time he’s out of luck.