Off-airways R/T failure

[Captain Stable]

Question that has been put to me indirectly by an American pilot as follows:-

In the UK, if vectored off my flight-planned route, either with a waypoint (also off flight-planned route) or on a heading and I then suffer total comms failure, what will I be expected to do?

Obviously, comms failure squawk is appropriate, but where do I go?

Any suggestions?

Hold at the intermediate waypoint (or present position)? Does a triangular pattern indicate I am unsure of position? If a comms failure also includes the Txpdr, how likely am I to be seen on primary by anyone? I assume that my blip disappearing off secondary will be noticed, but what is then the procedure? Being intercepted by a couple of trigger-happy FJ mates would be a little worrying...

How do I get any onward clearance?

[Spitoon]

Hopefully the answer is in here (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/ATS013.pdf). Beware, it's a 1.5 MB file. :}

[SirToppamHat]

Most cases of ac losing comms in CAS the UK occur not due to failures of equipment but because pilots select the wrong frequencies on change of controller, and, in the case of transatlantic flights, leave the primary frquency to seek Oceanic clearance.

Under such circumstances, I believe it is imperative that pilots select VHF Guard 121.5 and make contact with one of the D&D Cells. I don't believe this goes against what has been suggested in the ATSIN13 mentioned previously. In the mean time, continue on your approved route.

Regards

STH

[bookworm]

In the UK, if vectored off my flight-planned route, either with a waypoint (also off flight-planned route) or on a heading and I then suffer total comms failure, what will I be expected to do?

It's an interesting reflection on the difference in UK and US attitudes to IFR clearances that an instrument rated pilot would ask such a question. And I mean that as absolutely no criticism of Captain Stable, but as a comment on the relative importance attached to the concept of a clearance in the two environments. My impression is that the ICAO expectation is much closer to the US rigorous approach and that the UK ATC system is going to get bitten in the :mad: one of these days. It is also perhaps a reflection of the fact that true irreversible comm failure is a rare event in the UK environment because of the average quality of the equipment flying in it.

In principle, you're in one of two states: you're flying your clearance, which takes you on an unambiguously agreed route to destination, or you're on a vector, a temporary deviation from that clearance. The comm fail procedure if you're on a vector is laid out in the AIP -- stay on the heading for 3 mins after squawking 7600 and then resume your clearance.

The situation of being sent ("cleared"?) to an intermediate waypoint which is not on your cleared route should not arise -- you then have a broken clearance because it doesn't take you to your destination. Again, in principle, when sent to a waypoint that is not on your cleared route, you should be refusing the reclearance until you have a route that you can fly unambiguously to your destination.

Most of the time, it doesn't matter, because the radio hasn't failed and you either get another instruction or you can ask ATC "where to next then?" But there's the potential for something nasty to happen when an aircraft has accepted an instruction to an off-route waypoint, the radio fails and it's not clear what the aircraft should do next.

A similar situation may arise because UK ATC is not in the habit of telling aircraft where vectoring will end. Here's what Order 7110.65P (http://www.faa.gov/ATpubs/ATC/index.htm) (equivalent of MATS) 5-6-2 says:

b. When initiating a vector, advise the pilot of the purpose.

PHRASEOLOGY-
VECTOR TO (fix or airway).

VECTOR TO INTERCEPT (name of NAVAID) (specified) RADIAL.

VECTOR FOR SPACING.

VECTOR TO FINAL APPROACH COURSE,

Note that "VECTOR BECAUSE I JUST WANT YOU ON THAT VECTOR AND WE WON'T WORRY ABOUT WHERE YOU PICK UP YOUR CLEARANCE AGAIN" is not on the list.

Section 4-2-5 of the same document covers route amendments, BTW.

a. Amend route of flight in a previously issued clearance by one of the following:

1. State which portion of the route is being amended and then state the amendment.

PHRASEOLOGY-
CHANGE (portion of route) TO READ (new portion of route).

2. State the amendment to the route and then state that the rest of the route is unchanged.

PHRASEOLOGY-
(Amendment to route), REST OF ROUTE UNCHANGED.

3. Issue a clearance "direct" to a point on the previously issued route.

PHRASEOLOGY-
CLEARED DIRECT (fix).

NOTE-
Clearances authorizing "direct" to a point on a previously issued route do not require the phrase "rest of route unchanged." However, it must be understood where the previously cleared route is resumed. When necessary, "rest of route unchanged" may be used to clarify routing.

Note the clear underlying principle that there must be no doubt as to how the route is to continue.

Why doesn't UK ATC do it properly?

[5milesbaby]

What a load of :mad: . If you have time to tell EVERY aircraft you put onto a vector the reason why then you have time to double your workload and shift more aircraft. I cannot see in your list "Vectors to avoid mid air collision" or anything else that is appropriate so already your book is flawed.

In the UK (and I think everywhere else now) the new RTF procedures are quite easy and defined and mentions resuming "flight planned route" after 3 minutes of selecting 7600. In reality most switched on controllers will just keep everything out of the way and not expect anything from the comms failed aircraft so that whatever it does will not cause too much alarm.

[PPRuNe Radar]

Can't see how the UK AIP version as quoted by Mike Jenvey is unclear or unwieldy.

Give it a go 5milesbaby ;)

'Birdseed 123, leave Bovingdon heading 090 degrees. Vector is due traffic just departing Heathrow passing 4000' heading North, and the one two minutes behind him, plus the Gatwick outbound heading North passing FL80, and due traffic just leaving Ockham passing FL70 descending, and due traffic leaving the Biggin hold shortly passing FL80 in the descent, and due the helicopter on the SVFR route at 3000', and due traffic 3 miles ahead, etc, etc'

:)

[bookworm]

Can't see how the UK AIP version as quoted by Mike Jenvey is unclear or unwieldy.

OK, so let's take two specific examples:

1) My flight planned route is Cambridge DCT BKY DCT DET DCT DVR L9 KONAN L607 wherever....

Shortly after departing Cambridge you ask me to "route direct LAM", which is not on my flight planned route. My radio fails. Do I:

a) Fly all the way to LAM and then back to BKY then flight planned route
b) Fly all the way to LAM and then to DET then flight planned route
c) Fly all the way to LAM and then to DVR then flight planned route
d) Fly towards LAM for three minutes as if it were a vector and then fly to any of BKY/DET/DVR
e) Something else?
??

(If you'd taken the trouble to say "route LAM DET" then it would be unambiguous, wouldn't it?)

2) My flight planned route is Cambridge DCT BKY DCT DET DCT LYD G27 HAWKE DCT DRAKE wherever....

Shortly after departing Cambridge you ask me to "fly heading 240" and later "fly heading 210". Somewhere passing south west of Luton, just as I'm wondering why you're taking me round the west side of the TMA instead of the east, my radio fails. After my 3 minutes on 210 do I:

a) Fly to BKY then flight planned route
b) Fly to LYD then flight planned route
c) Fly to DRAKE then flight planned route
d) Fly the route that you usually give me when you take me down the west side of the TMA
e) Something else?

(If you'd taken the trouble to say "fly heading 240 vectors for CPT then DRAKE" then it would be unambiguous, wouldn't it?)

The issue is not about explaining why there's a vector or a rerouting. It's about making it clear where the rerouting will rejoin the original flight planned route.

[5milesbaby]

From your examples I would expect you:

1: To say LAM not on our route, where would you like after there? until you are given a point on your route. A controller should not issue a point off your route unless they have a good reason for it, and I would always say in your example route LAM DET. If this hasn't been done, I would expect that after LAM you went to the next 'suitable' fix, as DET isn't too much a manouvre then that is what I'd think you may do. If you'd filed BKY CLN DVR for some reason and had been given LAM in this instance, then a turn to CLN from LAM would be huge, so then I would expect you to go to DVR, however if you went to CLN that should be safe due to the 'clearing of the skies' around your track just due to 7600 being selected.

2: to continue the heading for 3 minutes after selecting 7600, and then turn for the next suitable fix on your flight plan. By the time you have realised and selected 7600 you may be off route by a massive distance, so if going to DET or LYD makes more sense than going back to BKY then do that. Again, we'll see the squalk and will be clearing EVERY a/c within reasonable distance both above and below right out of the way so that whatever you do is covered. Unusually one happenned recently and the a/c went and held just outside CAS for a while before returning to the airfield of departure. In this case the pilot could be heard by ATC transmitting blind so we knew exactly what was going to happen, however even without this controllers wouldn't rule out the possibility of this happenning just because we are trained to expect the unexpected in such circumstances.

Mike Jenvey, if we could only say back "your own visual separation" to every call we get like that :ok:

[bookworm]

To say LAM not on our route, where would you like after there? until you are given a point on your route. A controller should not issue a point off your route unless they have a good reason for it, and I would always say in your example route LAM DET.

We seem to be in violent agreement there then, 5milesbaby. ;)

By the time you have realised and selected 7600 you may be off route by a massive distance, so if going to DET or LYD makes more sense than going back to BKY then do that. Again, we'll see the squalk and will be clearing EVERY a/c within reasonable distance both above and below right out of the way so that whatever you do is covered.

Wouldn't it be easier to share the plan with the pilot, though? I know there are moments or even minutes of high intensity RT, but it only takes a few words to create a default route for comm failure purposes.

[5milesbaby]

Bit difficult there bookworm, as how can I say "continue heading, vectors until the A340 decides to get its ar$e out of your levels" as we all know that can be soon to never! With the amount of traffic your heading could be against its just impossible. PPRuNe Radar's post earlier so 'delicately' gives a perfect and normal example! :ouch: