Aviation Emergencies from the ATCO's Perspective

How Air Traffic Control Deals With a Plane Which is in Trouble

Jun 21, 2009

Emergencies in aviation are rare, but they do occur. So when a pilot makes a Mayday radio call, how do people on the ground give assistance?

Since the recent A320 ditching in New York, everyone has been uncomfortably aware that aircraft emergencies do occasionally happen. When something goes wrong in the air, the pilot puts out an emergency or ‘Mayday’ call. So when this occurs, what do those on the ground do to help?

Can Air Traffic Control Officers Deal Effectively With Aviation Emergencies?

Before they are issued with a licence, ATCOs (Air Traffic Control Officers) have been trained and assessed in the handling of emergencies. Each year they undergo refresher training on this aspect of their work. So although they very rarely have to deal with them, all ATCOs are well trained in managing and helping with such situations.

High Level Aircraft Emergencies

If an aircraft has a problem at high level, the ATCO must clear traffic from beneath the plane, and help it find somewhere appropriate to land. The ATCO will co-ordinate quickly with adjacent workers and sectors, or military controllers. He or she will also assess the nature of the emergency, and pass ranges and bearings to the stricken plane to help it find a suitable place to land.

Medium Level Aviation Emergencies

These planes may be talking to ‘Approach Control’ close to an airport, or the call may come to the ATCO out of the blue, as it were. In these cases there is less time to arrange things. The controller will try to assess the nature of the problem, and pass on information as to suitable airfields. Some of these may be small and not normally appropriate for large planes, but in an emergency any type of airfield is better than none. The controller will also ensure that other planes say well out of the way of the aircraft with the problem.

If there is time, the controller may pass the information on to the Distress and Diversion Cells. There are two of these in the UK, based in London and Scotland. They are manned by RAF officers who are trained to deal with aircraft emergencies, and that is all they do. Aircraft may contact them directly on 121.5 MHz, but any ATCO may decide it is more appropriate for this organisation to deal with a situation, even if the aircraft has not called Distress and Diversion first.

Emergencies Close to the Ground or on an Airport

Low level emergencies are the most frightening for all concerned, since there is so little time for appropriate action to be taken. The most crucial time is immediately after take-off, and ATCOs must always be completely alert at these times. If anything untoward is spotted during the take-off roll the controller should let the pilot know, but he must take into account aircraft size and position when giving directions.

For instance, it would not be a good idea to ask a passenger jet to stop if it was going faster than around 80 knots. The ATCO must also ensure that other planes are kept well out of the way of the stricken aircraft, which will be given priority at all times.

Aviation emergencies are thankfully rare, and most Air Traffic Controller’s only encounter perhaps two or three serious ones during their whole working life. But they take a professional pride in knowing what to do, and they are there to help. They always hope they will never hear the words “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday”, but if they should, they know exactly what to do.

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