Using emergency frequency and transponder code

[drotto]

Basically, I knowevent that treatens flight safety can use 121.5 and 7700 no questions asked. Are there other legitimate uses for these emergency procudures. For instance, would e medical emergency in a passenger be a ligitimate reason to declare an emergency and use the emergency frequency and transponder codes.

 

[MAKG1]

Yes. You need priority treatment and emergency services.

But, it's not "no questions asked."

See 14 CFR 91.3 (c).

It's also best to tell ATC (via Guard or local frequency) what the nature of the emergency is, as a runway covered in foam will not help a passenger with a heart attack.

 

[Matthew]

Wouldn't ATC say, "Say nature of emergency, fuel on board, and souls on board."? So, like MAKG1 said, it's not exactly no questions asked.

I always figured the PIC gets to decide if it's an emergency (although in some cases ATC will decide for you). If you go all 911 because of a popped door and request the trucks, I'm guessing you might be asked to explain.

 

[flyingron]

I've had several emergency situations. In most cases they just want to know if you got down safely (the time we did the NORDO arrival into IAD) and if you need more assistance.

In the case where I told the tower just after takeoff that I smelled smoke (having just done electrical work) and I was shutting off the master and returning, I got the entire ANG CFR crew chasing me down the runway. They put my name and phone number on the report, that was the end of that.

The time I had my engine failure, I sat with the State Police officer helping him fill out his accident report form. Again, nothing more came from it. When the FAA found out no injuries, no damage to property (other than my plane), they didn't even want to hear about it. It was helped by the fact that they were busy with the investigation of some ultalighter who killed himself two counties over at the same time.

 

[drotto]

I understand that the door open, or a non essential equipment failure is not considered a declaired emergency situation, more of a get down and check it out when possible, likely meaning at the closest airport, not the closest field or road. I was wondering if medical emergencies, etc also reached the level of declairing an emergency and using full emergency procedures. I know PIC is the ultimate authority, but not to be abused.

I would expect in a medical emergency, I would alert the closest airport. If towered get clearence to get me in asap, and call for medical help. Set radios to 121.5 and trnasponder to 7700. In the case of untowered use flight following or the unicom/ctaf to see if somebody on the ground could contact help for me while I was getting down. But, thanks for confirming what I already suspected.

 

[MAKG1]

You'll have to use judgment for the situation.

Landing at an unattended remote backcountry airport 'cause it's closest may not be the right decision. You might want to pick a nearby airport with emergency services available. Choosing between a mountain crossing and a longer downslope flight with a passenger complaining of chest pains is also not terribly obvious (it depends on altitude).

Weather might get in your way as well.

If your passenger needs CPR, you need to get on the ground NOW, 'cause there is no way it's happening in the air (unless, I suppose, you can get a back seat passenger to do it -- seems very awkward) and 5 minutes to find and approach an airport is fatal. If an emergency landing is far from help or excessively risky, he may be SOL.

 

[Velocity173]

I understand that the door open, or a non essential equipment failure is not considered a declaired emergency situation, more of a get down and check it out when possible, likely meaning at the closest airport, not the closest field or road. I was wondering if medical emergencies, etc also reached the level of declairing an emergency and using full emergency procedures. I know PIC is the ultimate authority, but not to be abused.

I would expect in a medical emergency, I would alert the closest airport. If towered get clearence to get me in asap, and call for medical help. Set radios to 121.5 and trnasponder to 7700. In the case of untowered use flight following or the unicom/ctaf to see if somebody on the ground could contact help for me while I was getting down. But, thanks for confirming what I already suspected.

Your the PIC. Determine the extent of that medical emergency and if you need assistance. Simply having someone who is airsick wouldn't warrant declaring to ATC. If it's a serious medical situation and you want an ambulance waiting on arrival then declare.

If you're already talking to ATC, don't waste time in going on guard and sqk 7700. Just simply say PAN-PAN or MAYDAY three times. Or do what most do and just make a statement that you're declaring an emergency. ATC will then ask a slew of questions so that they can better handle your emergency.

 

[Matthew]

I understand that the door open, or a non essential equipment failure is not considered a declaired emergency situation, more of a get down and check it out when possible, likely meaning at the closest airport, not the closest field or road. I was wondering if medical emergencies, etc also reached the level of declairing an emergency and using full emergency procedures. I know PIC is the ultimate authority, but not to be abused.

I would expect in a medical emergency, I would alert the closest airport. If towered get clearence to get me in asap, and call for medical help. Set radios to 121.5 and trnasponder to 7700. In the case of untowered use flight following or the unicom/ctaf to see if somebody on the ground could contact help for me while I was getting down. But, thanks for confirming what I already suspected.

I've witnessed 2 in-flight emergencies (from the ground).

One was a control failure, broken rudder cable. The pilot flew around for about an hour trying to work out a way to land - he did a great job, and the crash trucks met him on the rwy and helped him push the plane off onto the ramp. He just signed off on the release form, shook hands with them, and that was that.

The other was a fuel cap that fell off (tank was in front of the cockpit) and fuel spilled into the cockpit. In this case the pilot just said, "landing, fuel in the cockpit". The trucks met him on the ramp, he signed a release, shook hands, and that was that.

--

If you think it's an emergency, then it's an emergency, medical, mechanical, or otherwise. Aviate, Navigate, Communicate.

If ATC thinks you are in over your head, they'll treat it as an emergency for you.

Don't hesitate because you aren't sure it's enough to reach some particular level. There will be plenty of time later to figure that out.

 

[mcmanigle]

Also, it's my understanding (I'm sure the ATCers will chime in) that the 7700 squawk is a pretty blunt instrument. It will alert any radar picking you up, but won't tell them anything more than your location and "emergency." If you already have a discrete squawk code and controller (because you're on flight following, for example), just tell them what the problem is. They may ask you to ident to remind them where you are, but that way they'll still remember any details of the flight they already have.

Similarly, 121.5 will put you in touch with everybody in line of sight. That's all well and good if you weren't talking to anybody before and/or aren't immediately sure what the local ATC frequency is. But if you know your local frequency (or if you're one of those sorts who likes to listen in just for situational awareness even when you're not on flight following), using that might save you the hassle of the controllers' having to figure out whose responsibility you are.

Just remember that 7700 and 121.5 aren't "the thing you do in an emergency because they're the emergency things". They're just two more tools to get you in touch with people who can help.

In the case of a truly sick passenger, it might be worth asking about ATC's ability to get an ambulance to a small airfield, vs. what kind of on-site support is available at other large fields. And the presence of an ambulance can only do so much. Land at a field close to a hospital if you can. But yes, an emergency is appropriate if you need priority handling over other traffic or to circumvent FARs. A passenger who needs an ambulance qualifies. (One who threw up in your plane or is about to probably doesn't.)

 

[MAKG1]

If you're blasting through multiple airspaces, you do want to broadcast your status to everyone. Depending on the handoff is a nice way for the approach controller to reroute all the airliners or clear you through Class B, and then have the nearby Class D controller sequence 6 aircraft in front of you and extend your downwind into the next county.

This is an emergency we're talking about, not a routine airspace transition. It's much better for too many people to know about it than not enough.

7700 is enough for a controller to know to clear the area. It's not enough for emergency services on the ground.

An emergency does NOT require an immediate life-threatening situation. If your engine is a little rough or your oil pressure is dropping, you can legitimately declare an emergency and get priority handling if it MIGHT quit before you land. That's an "urgency" situation, and it's entirely legit. You do not have to wait until it becomes life threatening.

That can include a sick passenger if you don't know the cause is benign.

 

[airguy]

I had a medical emergency once in the air several years ago, was already on flight following and a 5-year-old in the back seat with mom started choking on a piece of candy. He was getting just barely enough air to stay conscious, and I mean just barely. I called ATC, declared a medical emergency and turned direct for the Class D about 15 miles away. ATC did ask the nature of the medical issue as soon as I declared, never asked me to change squawk, and we were met on the ramp with an ambulance and EMT's. All that turned out to be the hard part, getting the kid fixed up was a 30-second effort with a long curved hemostat.

I saw the ambulance on the ramp and took the high speed turnoff from the runway, killed the mixture about 50 feet from the ambulance while hard on the brakes, and I had EMT's at both doors within 3 seconds of reaching a full stop. Those guys were seriously on the ball. They grabbed the kid and had him down on the ground and working on him before I finished flipping all my switches off. By the time I got my seat belt off and got out of the airplane mother and kid were crying and holding each other, emergency over.

 

[Velocity173]

7700 is if you're not radar identified yet. Once Identified, you won't be on it long because ATC will put you on one of their discrete MSAW codes. That is unless you're a single pilot fighter or helo. Even then, it's not that hard to change codes in flight.

121.5 is if your not talking to ATC or you just have no clue what the local freq is for ATC. Of course by filing IFR or getting FF you would already be up their freq, thereby saving time in handling any emergency that should occur.

 

[N801BH]

I had a medical emergency once in the air several years ago, was already on flight following and a 5-year-old in the back seat with mom started choking on a piece of candy. He was getting just barely enough air to stay conscious, and I mean just barely. I called ATC, declared a medical emergency and turned direct for the Class D about 15 miles away. ATC did ask the nature of the medical issue as soon as I declared, never asked me to change squawk, and we were met on the ramp with an ambulance and EMT's. All that turned out to be the hard part, getting the kid fixed up was a 30-second effort with a long curved hemostat.

I saw the ambulance on the ramp and took the high speed turnoff from the runway, killed the mixture about 50 feet from the ambulance while hard on the brakes, and I had EMT's at both doors within 3 seconds of reaching a full stop. Those guys were seriously on the ball. They grabbed the kid and had him down on the ground and working on him before I finished flipping all my switches off. By the time I got my seat belt off and got out of the airplane mother and kid were crying and holding each other, emergency over.

I love it when all the pieces of the puzzle come together....

 

[bobmrg]

Basically, I knowevent that treatens flight safety can use 121.5 and 7700 no questions asked. Are there other legitimate uses for these emergency procudures. For instance, would e medical emergency in a passenger be a ligitimate reason to declare an emergency and use the emergency frequency and transponder codes.

If you use flight following, as you should, you have a controller right there to help...no need to switch frequencies or squawk 7700. In any case, you are PIC and you decide what constitutes an emergency, not someone on the ground after the fact.

Bob Gardner

 

[Doggtyred]

Basically, I knowevent that treatens flight safety can use 121.5 and 7700 no questions asked. Are there other legitimate uses for these emergency procudures. For instance, would e medical emergency in a passenger be a ligitimate reason to declare an emergency and use the emergency frequency and transponder codes.

If you are already established and in contact with ATC, such as flight following or on an IFR flight plan, you typically would not change from their frequency to 121.5 to declare.

They already know who you are and where you are. Just tell em your problem.