Not really much to be said for an intro to this week's topic. We might as well get right down to it.

Basics
Procedures
ATC and Aircraft Emergencies
    Priority
    Communication
    Information Required

Basics

There are very few rules for a pilot when confronted with an emergency situation. The very nature of emergencies make it difficult to plan for. The simple fact is that aviation is dangerous. What keeps the risks low is airmanship in the cockpit and good maintenance practices on the ground. This is why there is so much stress from regulatory bodies on proper planning and cockpit resources. If something happens to an aircraft in flight, at any point from take-off to landing, an informed and well-trained, well-practiced crew will be able to use all the information at their fingertips to make the best decisions possible to attempt to make the best of the situation presented to them, hopefully with a good outcome.

Training on the aircraft type involved becomes important. A Dash 8 pilot I met a few years back seemed to know every little detail about the aircraft. The training the company put them through involved some of the basic situations (engine failures, hydraulic problems, etc) as well as some stupidly advanced problems. This gives the pilot practice in using information received during training to help figure out what's left and usable once system A and B both fail.

Next, situational awareness becomes critical in a number of situations. Weather, both where the aircraft is and places appropriate to aircraft type around them. Hey, just the knowledge of locations around the pilot can be of great use. For example, Moncton handled a particular flight one evening where the pilot reported a medical emergency and requested to go direct to land at Boston, MA (KBOS). When retrieving details, it was determined the patient on board was having heart trouble and needed immediate attention. He was merely 80 NM from Halifax, NS (CYHZ), and over 350 from KBOS. This particular pilot wasn't aware of any airports in Eastern Canada that could support his aircraft type. Halifax could. Once informed of the particulars, he opted to land at CYHZ, saving potentially valuable time for the life of the patient in the process.

Procedures

I really hope you weren't expecting a step-by-step detailing of what should be done in an emergency. Emergencies occur when circumstances go beyond what is normal. In the absence of normalcy, any number of little factors could rise to become a great issue. It would be impossible to plan for every little detail, since there are just so many variables. Instead, the most likely circumstances are addressed through training and planning like engine failure in single or multi-engine aircraft, electrical failures, and so on. Pilot judgment is often the best resource when the unforeseen items jump up. Basically, the best advice is to do what is deemed necessary to bring about the safest possible conclusion to the situation. Many normal rules go out the window when an emergency situation arises. For example, many airports are considered private, or restricted. Military airfields among them. Prior permission is required to land at a military aerodrome, and it may be refused without reason given. No aircraft in an emergency will be refused a landing at a military aerodrome if it is experiencing an inflight emergency. Once the dust settles, they'll want to have a word with you, but they certainly wouldn't deny a landing.

ATC and Aircraft Emergencies

The AIP RAC 6.3.1 informs pilots that ATC expects a pilot in an emergency situation to take whatever action is considered necessary. As mentioned earlier, many rules are set aside when safety is jeopardized. For example, an IFR aircraft normally requires a clearance to change altitude in controlled airspace. However, a single engine aircraft in icing may not be able to maintain altitude if the icing becomes too great. This is most definitely bordering on an emergency if not an actual one. Perhaps an engine failure necessitates a drop in altitude, since most twin engine aircraft have a significantly lower service ceiling with one engine inoperative (OEI). Maybe a pressurization problem (explosive decompression) requires an immediate descent. While I don't have the exact numbers, I've read that the useful consciousness for a pilot in a suddenly decompressed aircraft at FL410 is something like 20-30 seconds if he doesn't have a supplemental oxygen system in place (face mask with a functional supply). The air is just too thin to support normal thought, so the pilot must do what he can to get down, and fast. Whatever the case, a clearance to change altitude is one of the last things on the mind of a pilot being forced down, and rightly so. ATC using radar will often be able to see an aircraft's MODE C readout dropping rapidly, assuming the circumstances allow electricity to the transponder and will respond by moving other traffic out of the way beneath him.

An aircraft experiencing an emergency, or one that appears to be experiencing an emergency, will be given priority over all other traffic, including MEDEVAC flights. They beat out heads of state (Prime Ministers or Presidents), military aircraft on missions, and all others, especially those capable of routine flight. Other traffic will be moved out of the way in the best manner practical, ATC will provide higher levels of communication with outside agencies in an attempt to assist pilots in any way possible. For example, ATC doesn't normally contact dispatchers to relay information. When an emergency occurs, the pilots may be very, very busy. If information is required, ATC may contact a dispatcher to receive what information he can't get from a pilot, or they may contact dispatch to obtain information for relay to the pilot. Even changing a frequency in an emergency situation can be an unwarranted distraction, so ATC will often attempt to keep this sort of item to a minimum, if practical.

When an aircraft is experiencing an emergency, a pilot's way of getting attention to that fact is said, officially, as a prefix to the declaration using the word, "Mayday," spoken three times. The AIP tells us this in the COM section. Having said this, I've dealt with several emergencies in the 12 years I've been active in real world ATC and have yet to hear the word mayday spoken. Most often, the pilot radios the situation to ATC and we recognize the nature of the transmission, or hear other words indicating that an emergency exists, and handle the aircraft as an emergency. There is another method, as well, which a pilot can use to signal ATC if he's in a radar environment. He can squawk 7700 on the transponder. This will turn the aircraft's target red on the radar and sound alarms in many ATC units.

Communication with ATC is a secondary function for a pilot. As a controller, I have dealt with a few emergencies over my short career, and some have taken most of the action they could before talking to me. This is what's expected of a pilot. Aviate, Navigate, Communicate, in that order. Another old adage I have seen tells pilots, "Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding it and powerless to help." All too often, ATC doesn't understand exactly what the problem is, or even how serious it is, by you simply describing which part or system has malfunctioned. That's your job as a pilot. ATC needs to know what they can do to help. If you're descending uncontrollably, ATC will move traffic from beneath you. If you're running to the nearest airport, ATC will move traffic out of your way. If you need an ambulance at destination, ATC will make a phone call. If you're not going to make the field, ATC will mobilize emergency services for you. But remember, that's all they can do. You're the one in the cockpit, and you're the one who has to fly the aircraft. ATC can only pass information along to you and to others in an attempt to assist you.

ATC will, in many emergencies, as pilots for a couple of items, depending on the nature of the emergency. Where the safety of a flight is jeopardized, ATC will likely as for Fuel On Board and Souls On Board. The fuel on board will give firefighters an idea of just how big a blaze they can expect on the ground, or an idea of how much fuel may be waiting for them in the tanks if they don't rupture in impact. Fuel on board may be useful for other purposes, too. When talking to a VFR aircraft whose pilot has become disoriented, they may ask for that information to determine just how much flight time can be expected. if it's low, destination may be unreachable, and ATC can start searching for closer alternative aerodromes. The souls on board would be desirable, since rescue workers will want to know how many people to account for when they arrive on scene. Personally, I feel this information is secondary, since both aspects can often be obtained from dispatchers in the case of a company aircraft or airliner, or a reasonable estimate can be obtained simply by aircraft type. A Piper Cherokee 160 will carry 4 people and have about 50 gallons of fuel, for example. Other more important information may be requested first. A VFR aircraft who gets caught in IFR weather has very little time left, in all likelihood. It is important for ATC to quickly ascertain pilot capabilities. Is he IFR equipped and certified? If yes, no real panic. If no, then we have some work to do.

If you're a pilot, you may opt not to answer those questions, too. If you know you have very little time left to communicate, or even stay in the air, you might consider more important aspects. Such as radioing an approximate location and your intent if ATC didn't have you on radar to begin with. Perhaps you have an electrical fire and you must shut off electrics to cut down on the heat that's feeding the fire. Perhaps you can think of other reasons communication might be cut short.

You can see from the brief examples I've given here that there are many, many sets of circumstances that can occur that can come into play during an emergency. For that reason, it is virtually impossible to write rules to cover every situation. Good planning, awareness, and judgment all play a part in a successful conclusion to a bad situation. Or at least the three together can help lighten the outcome a little. Any questions or comments? I'd be happy to receive them at moxner@nbnet.nb.ca. I'll leave you with these quotes about emergencies:

"Don't drop the aircraft in order to fly the microphone"

"Rule one: No matter what else happens, fly the airplane."

"Fly it until the last piece stops moving."

"If you're faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the crash as possible." - Bob Hoover