When Mayday and when PANPAN

[Olendirk]

Guys,

qrh says on the classic : land at nearest suitable airport. so whats the deal with that? Panpan oder Mayday? and what will the controllers do at panpan or mayday? Especially in europe? Any expereience?

Thanks!

OD

[Nichibei Aviation]

A mayday call will get priority assistance over any other emergencies of lower importance in case of multiple emergencies at the same time on the same frequency.

This is a rare event, but incidents can be related to the same cause as in a multiple engine failure ;-)

Most SOP's require you to Mayday when you got an engine failure on take-off.
While that is not the correct phraseology as you are in an emergency and not in a distress, no one cares less at that moment.
A mayday is a distress call, it's kind of:
"I would like you to know that there is no way we get out of this situation in one piece".

[WannaBeBiggles]

In laemans terms

Pan Pan is a called telling everyone, yep there is a problem, but can handle it. Say you see your T&P's are getting a little high/low and you'd like to let people know the it's not Ops Normal.
(Read: No immediate threat to life and plane)

Mayday is telling everyone there is a problem which is endangering the aircraft and your passengers. Let's say an engine faliure.
(Read: Immediate threat to life and plane)

Of course a PanPan can be escalted to another... let's say the reason your T&P's got high/low is because you had a pending engine faliure and then your engine did fail.

[Basil]

In practical terms, if you have an incident and are tossing up between Panx3 and Mayday then it's a Mayday.
You can always downgrade later.
It is a common human failing to think "OK, I can handle this without priority treatment." Just think of the consequences if you can't.
Pride doesn't come into it - professionalism does.

Currently thoughts with the Master of the MV Explorer.
No doubt feeling a prat for losing his ship but got on with the emergency in hand and saved all his passengers and crew - respect. :ok:

[jurassicjockey]

Sshh, don't tell Dallas ATC

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa070220_kd_flight489.1c5a88e4.html

[lustforlife]

if ive got responsibility for passengers then its always a MAYDAY for any safety issue.

[frostbite]

Will never forget listening to a USAF frequency some years ago.

Heard "Pan Pan Pan" after the callsign, said as casually as if he was ordering his breakfast. Couldn't hear the ground station so had to wait for the following day's newspaper which carried a paragraph about a ditching in the N. Sea and successful rescue.

[Davaar]

It was fifty years or so ago now. I cannot warrant hearing this myself, but it was told as true of an officer who had some trouble, was about to ditch, did ditch, and was, happily, picked up by the chopper soon after.

Oh Yes, he had a stammer, and his entire distress call ran: "A-, A-, A-, A-fu--, A-fu--, A-fu--, A-fu-k". It was long enough for a fix.

[john_tullamarine]

Normally I'd sanitise that for the PC community but I think that would totally destroy the underlying message ...

[FlightDetent]

Ok, what is the proper R/T when downgrading from MayDay to PAN? I never seem to manage it neatly in the sim.

FD (the un-real)

[Piltdown Man]

Plain English is a pretty good way of communicating on the radio.

PM

[FlightDetent]

I do not speak plain english. The probability is overkill that controller niether does. There is no guidline in PANS ATM, quite rightly so. I am looking for best practice, if there is any.

[airman13]

Nichibei Aviation,
To declare MayDay for an engine failure at take-off is not correct.This is my point of view.All modern airplanes are made to fly with one engine out.So if you depart from an airport wich is not suitable for landing due to weather(let s say visibility or other reason),you have to land on take -off alternate, right?

I remember a BA flight LAX-LHR , a year ago, they had an engine failure ,B 747-400, and did not return on L.A., they continued the flight with 3 valid engines (the flight had a stop before landing in London for refueling).