Emergencies Flashcards
What do you do when an emergency exists or is imminent?
Pursue the most appropriate course of action (conform as nearly as possible to instructions in .65) report immediately to supervisor
An emergency can be defined as either ___ or ___.
- Distress- a condition of being threatened by serious and or imminent danger and of requiring immediate assistance
- Urgency- a condition of being concerned about and of requiring timely but not immediate assistance-a potential distress condition
Define May Day repeated 3 times
Distress condition
Define Pan Pan repeated 3 times
Urgency condition
What do you do if these phrases are not used and you are unsure that a situation constitutes an emergency?
Handle it as though it were an emergency (most emergencies are declared in plain language by the pilot)
Obtain enough information to handle the emergency ___
Intelligently and base your decision as to what type of assistance is needed on the information and requests from the pilot who is authorized to determine a course of action
Consider an emergency to exist when any of the following occurs:
• Emergency is declared by pilot, facility personnel, officials
responsible for operation of the aircraft
• There is an unexpected loss of radar contact and radio
communications with IFR or VFR aircraft
• Reports indicate- forced landing has been made or is imminent, crew has abandoned that aircraft or is about to do so
• Emergency radar beacon response has been received (7700)
• Need for ground rescue appears likely
• ELT signal is heard or reported
When pilot requests or controller deems necessary, enlist services of:
Available radar facilities, military
What is the ARTCC responsible for in an emergency?
Receiving and relaying all pertinent ELT signal information to appropriate authorities
What is FSS’s responsibility in am emergency situation?
• Serves as a central point for collecting and disseminating
information on overdue or missing VFR aircraft
• Must notify the center about VFR aircraft emergency to allow provision of IFR separation if necessary
What is the responsibility of the facility in communication with the aircraft in distress?
• Handle the emergency
• Coordinate and direct activities of assisting facilities
• May transfer responsibility to another facility only if better
handling will result
What is the controllers responsibility?
- Forward data about the aircraft in distress to the center whose area the emergency exists
- When a foreign carrier is involved notify the ARTCC serving the departure or destination airports when either point is in the US for relay to aircraft operator
All pertinent ELT signal information shall be forwarded to the appropriate authorities by the?
ARTCC
When should you start providing assistance?
When enough information has been obtained upon which to act
What are the minimum information requirements to handle an emergency?
A/C ID, nature of the emergency, pilots desires
After initiating action, obtain what from the pilot as necessary?
Altitude, fuel remaining in time, pilot reported weather, pilot
capability for IFR flight, heading since last known position,
airspeed, navigational equipment capability, NAVAID signals received, visible land marks, aircraft color, number of people on board, point of departure and destination, emergency equipment on board
When should you request the aircrafts position?
Pilot has not given this information, aircraft is not visually sighted or displayed on the radar
What are the emergency frequencies?
121.5 and 243.0
What frequency should an emergency aircraft be on?
Keep aircraft on initial contact frequency. Change frequency only when there is a valid reason
When an aircraft is not radar identified and declares an emergency assign a code of?
7700
What should be considered when recommending an emergency airport?
Remaining fuel in relation to airport distance, Weather
conditions, Airport conditions, NAVAID status, Aircraft type, Pilots qualifications, Vectoring or homing capability to the emergency airport, Information derived from any automated emergency airport information
Coordinate all efforts possible to assist any aircraft believed to be..?
Overdue, lost, or in emergency status
What are some examples of unusual situations?
Volcano ash clouds, VFR aircraft in weather difficulty, bird strike, other non routine events
What should you do when an ELT is heard or reported?
Notify supervisor (sup initiated coordination), obtain any pertinent information such as time, altitude, location etc, solicit assistance of other aircraft operating in the signal area
When should you consider an aircraft overdue and issue an ALNOT?
Neither communications nor radar contact can be established and 30 minutes have passed since (ETA over specified or compulsory reporting point in your area or clearance limit in your area OR clearance void time)
What should you do if you have reason to believe an aircraft is over due prior to 30 minutes?
Take appropriate action immediately (center whose area the
aircraft is first overdue/unreported will make this determination)
What happens to IFR traffic that could be affected by an overdue or unreported aircraft?
- Must be restricted or suspended unless radar separation is used
- Facility must restrict/suspend IFR aircraft for a period of 30 mins following (time at which approach clearance was delivered to pilot, EFC time delivered to pilot, Arrival time over NAVAID serving destination airport, Current estimate facility or pilot whichever is later (appropriate en route NAVAID or fix, NAVAID serving destination airport, Release time and if issued clearance void time))
In addition to routing to the regional office operations center for the area in which the facility is located, you also must_____ for an overdue/unreported aircraft?
Issue and ALNOT to all ARTCCs 50 miles either side of the route of flight from last reported position to the destination
When is an ALNOT cancelled?
The aircraft has been located or search has been abandoned
When is normal air traffic control resumed?
After the 30 minute suspension has expired if operators or pilots of other aircraft concur (concurrence must be maintained for 30 minutes after the suspension period has expired
What is done when communications fail?
- Air traffic control is based on anticipated pilot action
* Use all appropriate means available to reestablish communications with the aircraft
What can be done to reestablish communications?
- NAVAID voice features
- Flight services stations
- Other aircraft
- Aeronautical Radio Incorporated ARINC
- Emergency frequency if warranted)
Request aircraft to acknowledge clearances and answer questions by?
• Squawk ident, squawk 7600, squaw other than appropriate stratum code, squawk stand by (allow sufficient time to ensure change was caused by pilot action)
• Radar associate controller may also coordinate with other
controllers to re establish communications
What should you expect the pilot to do in the event of
communications failure? Route wise
• Squawk 7600
• If VFR- precedes VFR and land as soon as practicable (either when failure occurs or VFR is encountered)
• IFR during a Vector- proceed IFR via routing last assigned, direct to fix route or airway specified in vector clearance
• In absence of an assigned route in IFR- routing advised to
expect in a further clearance
• Absence of assigned and expected route- route filed in flight plan
What should you expect the pilot to do in the event of
communications failure? Altitude wise
Maintain the highest of the following altitudes for the route
segment being flown (last assigned, MIA, altitude/FL ATC
advised to expect)
What should you expect the pilot to do in the event of
communications failure? After clearance limit
- Depart clearance limit:
- If an approach fix- as close as possible to either EFC or ETA
- Other than approach fix- EFC or upon arrival at the fix so as to commence approach as close as possible to ETA
What should be done if communications have not been established or re-established after 5 minutes?
- Consider the aircrafts activity to be possibly suspicious
* Notify your supervisor who will give further instructions
What should you expect the pilot to do in the event of
communications failure? To re establish communications
Attempt to reestablish communications with FSS or ARINC or on previously assigned frequency and monitor the NAVAID voice feature
