Object

Qumar Plane's ELT

Standard aircraft Emergency Locator Transmitter, a compact black-box device designed to emit distress signals with GPS coordinates after crashes. Fitzwallace reports U.S. SEALs dismantled it along with wreckage scattering to hide the crash site. Leo, Margaret, and others listen tensely in Leo's office as this revelation underscores a deliberate cover-up, turning the device from safety tool into incriminating evidence.

2 appearances

Purpose

Broadcast the aircraft's location during emergencies to guide rescue teams.

Significance

Proof of U.S. military concealment in the Qumar plane crash, which risks exposing President Bartlet to war-crimes charges at The Hague and forces urgent damage control.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S4E1 · 20 Hours in America Part I

Rolling Pins and The Hague: Local Optics Meet International Exposure

The Qumar plane's Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) is cited as intentionally dismantled by U.S. special forces; its removal is described as a clear, incriminating act that turns an accident into evidence — and therefore into potential proof for The Hague.

Before: Installed and active on the downed Qumari aircraft, broadcasting location in a normal crash scenario.

After: Dismantled/removed by SEALs/Special Ops as part of the cover-up to erase location signals.

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S4E1 · 20 Hours in America Part I

Fitzwallace's Hague Warning

The Qumar plane's ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) is described as deliberately dismantled by U.S. forces to eliminate an electronic trail; Fitzwallace names it as a key piece of evidence that was neutralized to conceal culpability.

Before: Functioning as a standard ELT on the crashed aircraft, located on the downed jet prior to U.S. intervention.

After: Disabled/dismantled and removed from evidence chain; cited as nonfunctional and not available to investigators.

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