[tjohns]

From the video, it looks like they activated the aircraft's ELT, which is the aircraft version of a PLB. Same system, just integrated into the aircraft and designed to automatically activate in a crash.

At the time that video was recorded (1989), ELTs were analog-only... nowhere near as accurate, and very prone to false alarms.

The new 406 MHz digital beacons are much more accurate. :)

[Zancarius]

Good point! Though, for being two decades and some change prior, being "only" 5 miles off isn't awful. It's not great either but certainly better than the alternative.

In this case, I'd assume they activated it manually since it wasn't a crash (nor was there an accident report on it that I could find)?

[pixelcloud]

It even mentions that at the end of the video.

They were looking 5 miles away around a glacier!