ATC and E. Landings

[Spartan03]

I've been wondering lately, for any of you real pilots out there, how do you tell atc you need to make an emergency landing? ive got two scenarios to run:

1.your flying steadily at cruise altitude, (insert your failure here). you can safely land at a nearby airstrip.

2. your flying steadily at altitude, "". you cant control the aircraft too well, you must make an emergency landing in a nearby cotton field.

[Mobius]

In either case you contact ATC or FSS (or whoever it is, I should know ) on 121.5 and state your emergency.  If it's a situation where you are coming down and have to make an emergency landing wherever you can find a flat piece of land, you start off by saying (over the radio) "mayday, mayday, mayday" (or "pan-pan, pan-pan, pan-pan"), who you are, where you are, what the problem is, and what you are trying to do.  It's more specific what they want you to say exactly, but I can't remember the list of items they want you to tell them.  Usually, if you have an indication of a problem, or a minor problem, you notify ATC immediately, and make a landing at the next airport of intended landing if the problem isn't too serious (no mode C on your transponder or something), or you land at the nearest airport that you can land at if it's more serious (engine problems, loss of comms, etc..).  Usually if you declare an emergency, ATC will do whatever you need them to do to get you down as quickly and safely as possible.

[Brett_Henderson]

There are as many answers to this question, as there are scenarios. For starters, if you declare an "E", you got one more problem, as you'll waste time explaining (and anybody searching out forums by topic, about declaring emergencies, will have to skip this thread completely  ;)  )

If you're within range of, or already talking to approach or a tower or are flying IFR (or VFR flight following), you can skip the 121.5 transmission and just tell "them" what happened. If you know you're able to make it to a non-towered airport, a CTAF annoucement is your best move so that you can fly straight in.

The big determiner in what happens after the intital communication, is a function of what the problem is.

For example: If you're flying along, VFR (no flight following) and notice an oil pressure drop; your first task is to get pointed toward the nearest airport. Now.. if that airport is relatively close, just broacast on CTAF that you're losing oil pressure and are flying straight in. If it's a towered airport, just tell the tower about the oil pressure and he'll see to it that you're let straight in.. However... he might ask if you're declaring an emergency, because if it's a busy airport, that's his excuse for telling the Lear on 6 mile final to deviate and delay his landing.

I could list 100 more scenarios.. each with different steps and procedures, and I hesitate to get into specifics about how and when (and why or why not) to declare an emergency.

For a cut-and-dry emergency (engine failure), Mobius was pretty close. First you trim for best-glide; then look for a place to land; then go through re-start procedures, then declare your emergency (121.5 if you're not already in communication with a tower, approach/departure, or ATC)... Who you are, where you are, the emergency, souls on board....

[Spartan03]

you'd think if you're able to have failures in the sim that there would be see way to tell ATC, rather than being IFR in an emergency landing and having ATC tell you to climb to your cruise alt. or canceling your IFR....<_<

[beaky]

you'd think if you're able to have failures in the sim that there would be see way to tell ATC, rather than being IFR in an emergency landing and having ATC tell you to climb to your cruise alt. or canceling your IFR....<_<

If you read Brett's post again closely, that should provide a clue as to why MS did not build that into FS: here are just so many possible variations...from low oil pressure requiring deviating to a nearby field to smoke in the cockpit on takeoff in night IMC...
 in FS, one has to use one's imagination, that's all.

One point not mentioned yet about declaring an emergency in real life: the official rules regarding obeying ATC instructions do not apply in an emergency. ATC may certainly offer assistance (vectors, etc) but if you have a real problem, you are calling the shots. In such a case, however, you are still responsible for making sure your decision will not create "undue hazard" to anyone else.

[C]

If you read Brett's post again closely, that should provide a clue as to why MS did not build that into FS: here are just so many possible variations...from low oil pressure requiring deviating to a nearby field to smoke in the cockpit on takeoff in night IMC...
 in FS, one has to use one's imagination, that's all.

One point not mentioned yet about declaring an emergency in real life: the official rules regarding obeying ATC instructions do not apply in an emergency. ATC may certainly offer assistance (vectors, etc) but if you have a real problem, you are calling the shots. In such a case, however, you are still responsible for making sure your decision will not create "undue hazard" to anyone else.

It's also worth saying that often in an emergency you want to talk to ATC as little as possible. Quite often when simulating emergencies in the past the temptation has been to talk to ATC early (for real and in the simulator). ATC will always try and be helpful, but they can also be a distraction if they are passing you information that you don't need.

As always, Aviate, Navigate, then communicate - and communication can be helped in a couple of seconds without even talking to ATC - setting 7700 on the transponder (for real - I know someone who accidentally did it whilst simulating an emergency a year or two back - guess who bought the beers that night? )

[Brett_Henderson]

Ahhh.. the transponder (I knew I forgot something)..

On older transponders (where there's a knob for each digit) you had to be careful dialing in a code while flying VFR..  With    1-2-0-0  already dialed in, it's possible to have a momentary  7-5   or  7-6  or  7-7 in front of those last two zeros...