FAA recommends replacing Velcro-style ELT fasteners

http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/...asteners?WT.mc_id=150313epilot&WT.mc_sect=adv

Makes sense based on article. Hopefully VANs / Artec will come with something so that we don't have to shop individually for a solution.

Keep in mind that neither the linked to AOPA article, or the FAA SAIB are recommending that aircraft owners change the retention method for their ELT's installed on their airplanes.
It is recommending that manufacturers stop selling ELT's that use this retention method and that they issue technical data for the maintenance and testing of the velcro retention systems on aircraft in the field.

An owner attempting a home brew replacement could easily make things worse.

DATA POINT

I had the metal latch/strap on my old Ameri-king crack and fail at last annual, so made a new, heavier one. ( not just Velcro fails!)

My new Pointer skyhunter 406 came with the Velcro strap, which surprised me, as I had read about the findings of these failing by tearing, or simply never being cinched tightly enough to keep the ELT in position thru impact forces.
I understand that you'd want to be able to quickly remove the ELT after a crash, but frankly, all the darn connectors for antennae, remotes, and GPS make this almost impossible without removing the seatback, and using a tiny screwdriver to remove a serial connector.
Regardless, I added a big hose clamp around the entire thing, with a thumbscrew for removal without tools.
If I'm in a real hurry, I'm hoping the 3 wire plugs will shear off somewhere non-lethal.

In true aircraft redundancy fashion, why not just use two, and say we must inspect & replace annually or as needed.

If you hit hard enough to dislodge that Velcro strap you're probably just making it more difficult to find your body. As long as it doesn't get weathered or pick up a lot of dirt it should be as secure as needed.

Perry's post sums things up well... Velcro became the weapon of choice to avoid ELT's becoming dislodged under impact after their cracked metal brackets had failed.

Now we find problems with the velcro...

I have a demo unit from Artex and have load-tested it. The loads this stuff will sustain are pretty outrageous - think in terms of 100G's. But they will work ONLY if they are properly applied. It's critical that installers actually LQQK at what they are doing when installing the ELT in its mounting bracket.

Frankly, ELT installs should be subject to the same rigor as flight controls. A dual inspection is a process I would encourage all people to follow. Too many ELT's have not saved lives because the installer forgot to set the main switch on the ELT to the "ARMED" position. If an extra set of eyes can help us reduce the number of incidents of this nature, and perhaps catch a few loose velcro straps, we'll all be better off for it.