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NASA Intentionally Crashes Cessna to Test Emergency Location Beacon

NASA scientists dropped a Cessna 172 from a 100ft scaffold to collect data on the reliability of aircraft emergency locator transmitters on Wednesday. The team from Langley Landing and Impact Research in Virginia plans to crash three Cessnas in a bid to design emergency beacons that are more likely to survive a crash. The failure of the locator transmitters makes it harder for search and rescue teams to find downed aircraft.

This video shows the Cessna 172 being dropped onto a concrete pad. Credit: YouTube/NASA Langley Research Center