11 Emergency Procedures

Question 1

Distress?

Answer 1

Distress: A condition of being threatened by serious and/or imminent danger and requiring immediate assistance.

‘Mayday, Mayday, Mayday’.
Squawk 7700. MODE A

Question 2

Urgency?

Answer 2

Urgency: A condition concerning the safety of an aircraft or other vehicle, or of some person on board or within sight, but which does not require immediate assistance.

‘Pan Pan, Pan Pan, Pan Pan’.

Question 3

How should an emergency be declared?

Answer 3

Declare your emergency (Distress or Urgency) on the current frequency. If no response use 121.5 MHz.

Question 4

Contents of a distress message in this sequence:

Answer 4

• Name of the station addressed.
• Identification of the aircraft.
• Nature of the distress.
• Intention of the person in command.
• Position, level and heading of the aircraft.
• Any other useful information.

Question 5

On receiving/hearing a distress message:

Answer 5

• The ATSU renders all possible assistance.
• Other aircraft remain quiet unless they need to relay the message or lend assistance when the ATSU hasn’t responded.
• ATSU may impose silence.
• The ATSU or distress aircraft may declare an end to the distress condition.

Question 6

Priority of distress and urgency messages?

Answer 6

Distress messages take priority over all other messages. Distress messages take priority over urgency messages.

The format and sequence of an urgency message, and the ensuing procedures, are the same as for a distress message and distress procedures.

Urgency messages take priority over all other messages except distress messages.

Question 7

What should you do if you recieve a distress message?

Answer 7

Acknowledge it, manage the situation.