Declaring an emergency after landing?

[SkyHog]

Is there ever an acceptable reason to declare an emergency after landing and during the taxi to parking?

 

[AggieMike88]

Is there ever an acceptable reason to declare an emergency after landing and during the taxi to parking?

First; to whom are you on the radio with and is your question related to an uncontrolled or controlled airport?

Second; absolutely if the situation was life threatening.

 

[flyingron]

If I was on fire, I sure would (though I'd probably have told them that before touch down if I knew it).

 

[brian]]

If I was on fire, I sure would (though I'd probably have told them that before touch down if I knew it).

Me running away from the aircraft might be clue for the tower that something was amiss..

 

[taters]

at Ohare Ive seen guys declare when they are about to hit the 3 hour mark waiting on a gate to open up...bus comes out and massive fines averted...

 

[bflynn]

Is there ever an acceptable reason to declare an emergency after landing and during the taxi to parking?

Sure, fire, medical. It might get you priority taxi instructions and/or a jump on response to your emergency and/or response from the crash crew.

Taxi is usually a short time relative to flying so it would be really rare.

 

[aanderson81]

at Ohare Ive seen guys declare when they are about to hit the 3 hour mark waiting on a gate to open up...bus comes out and massive fines averted...

What exactly does one declare in that circumstance?

 

[SkyDog58]

Happy hour about to end.

 

[JimNtexas]

Years ago I was in the backseat of an F-4G taxing out for takeoff when the radio burst into flames.

I'm pretty sure my nosegunner called the Tower when he noticed me running away from the jet. At least someone did, the fire truck came out.

 

[fiveoboy01]

If I'm on the ground and burning, I'm getting out, not worrying about telling anyone anything. Medical issue to get an expedited taxi is a good one though.

 

[Fearless Tower]

If I'm on the ground and burning, I'm getting out, not worrying about telling anyone anything.

Careful now. At Allegiant, that'll get you fired.

 

[fiveoboy01]

Haha.

I wouldn't ride Allegiant if it was free.

 

[flibmeister]

Happened many times when I worked the tower at ORD, here's one story:

Midnight shift, super slow, I'm alone in the tower. The techs have taken the tower brite scope for maintenance, so, technically, the radar room is supposed to call the sequence of arrivals up to the tower, so I know who's coming. Nobody ever does, so we just wait for the airplane to call us.

I hear an airplane call at the outer marker for 14R, United somebody. I'm pretty sure it's a DC-8 freighter, those are always 28xx or something similar. So, I say, "United 28(mumble, mumble), cleared to land." He mumbles something back, I go to the back of the tower to pour another cup of coffee. I'm standing next to the coffee pot watching him land, he gets about 5000' down the runway when, "BOOM", big blast and his left main gear truck is on fire.

I grab the red phone, get the firetrucks on the way. The airplane is still rolling out slowly, I need to talk to him, but I have no idea who he is. So, I key up and say, "United 28(mumble, mumble)", you have a fire in the left main gear, I've got the trucks on the way." Nothing. I say, "United DC8 rolling out on 14R, you have a fire in the left main gear." Nothing, and he's still rolling slowly along, firetrucks coming down the parallel taxiway trying to catch up, but he's clearly planning to roll long to the east-west parallel taxiway (that leads to his usual parking area).

I finally get forceful: "UNITED DC8 FREIGHTER ON 14R, I DON"T REMEMBER YOUR CALLSIGN, BUT YOU NEED TO STOP! YOU'RE ON FIRE AND THE FIRETRUCKS ARE TRYING TO CATCH YOU TO PUT IT OUT!

I hear a voice say, "Was that for United 2832?"

"United 2832, stop-- and you might want to consider evacuation, you're left main gear is on fire."

As I watch through binococulars, the airplane stops on the runway, I see the captain's side window open, a head comes out and looks back toward the left main gear-- and seconds later there are three guys sliding down ropes from the cockpit windows.

All ended well, but there was a letter out to the radar room the next day reiterating the need to call the landing lineup to the tower when the radar was down-- and a new order, requiring tower controllers to write the callsigns down.

Note: the cavalier attitude towards the radar/tower handoff (and proper callsign usage) was common back in the day, and I was obviously just as guilty as everyone else. Eventually, though, it came back to bite: an another airport, also on the midshift, the radar controller cleared an IFR airplane for the approach, then switched him to tower, and went back to his card game. The airplane crashed before ever calling the tower-- and since the tower controller never knew he was coming, he never missed him. Nobody in ATC realized there was an airplane down until the people waiting to meet it it started calling around when it didn't show up.

 

[Palmpilot]

Great story, thanks!

 

[Kritchlow]

Happened many times when I worked the tower at ORD, here's one story:

Midnight shift, super slow, I'm alone in the tower. The techs have taken the tower brite scope for maintenance, so, technically, the radar room is supposed to call the sequence of arrivals up to the tower, so I know who's coming. Nobody ever does, so we just wait for the airplane to call us.

I hear an airplane call at the outer marker for 14R, United somebody. I'm pretty sure it's a DC-8 freighter, those are always 28xx or something similar. So, I say, "United 28(mumble, mumble), cleared to land." He mumbles something back, I go to the back of the tower to pour another cup of coffee. I'm standing next to the coffee pot watching him land, he gets about 5000' down the runway when, "BOOM", big blast and his left main gear truck is on fire.

I grab the red phone, get the firetrucks on the way. The airplane is still rolling out slowly, I need to talk to him, but I have no idea who he is. So, I key up and say, "United 28(mumble, mumble)", you have a fire in the left main gear, I've got the trucks on the way." Nothing. I say, "United DC8 rolling out on 14R, you have a fire in the left main gear." Nothing, and he's still rolling slowly along, firetrucks coming down the parallel taxiway trying to catch up, but he's clearly planning to roll long to the east-west parallel taxiway (that leads to his usual parking area).

I finally get forceful: "UNITED DC8 FREIGHTER ON 14R, I DON"T REMEMBER YOUR CALLSIGN, BUT YOU NEED TO STOP! YOU'RE ON FIRE AND THE FIRETRUCKS ARE TRYING TO CATCH YOU TO PUT IT OUT!

I hear a voice say, "Was that for United 2832?"

"United 2832, stop-- and you might want to consider evacuation, you're left main gear is on fire."

As I watch through binococulars, the airplane stops on the runway, I see the captain's side window open, a head comes out and looks back toward the left main gear-- and seconds later there are three guys sliding down ropes from the cockpit windows.

All ended well, but there was a letter out to the radar room the next day reiterating the need to call the landing lineup to the tower when the radar was down-- and a new order, requiring tower controllers to write the callsigns down.

Note: the cavalier attitude towards the radar/tower handoff (and proper callsign usage) was common back in the day, and I was obviously just as guilty as everyone else. Eventually, though, it came back to bite: an another airport, also on the midshift, the radar controller cleared an IFR airplane for the approach, then switched him to tower, and went back to his card game. The airplane crashed before ever calling the tower-- and since the tower controller never knew he was coming, he never missed him. Nobody in ATC realized there was an airplane down until the people waiting to meet it it started calling around when it didn't show up.

You did good IMO... He should have recognized your transmissions without his exact call sign. Your description was well within what his situational awareness window should have been.