Emergency call sign

[100m down/10,000m up]

When declaring an emergency (distress or urgency) is there a requirement to prefix a callsign with "Mayday" or "Pan Pan". If this is the case, is it done on the first contact only or all the time you talk to the ATC (until you cancel the emergency).

[airman13]

It is no use to repeat to ATC the emergency call if you talk with them many times.If you recover the situation you can cancel the emergency.

[Spitoon]

ICAO Manual of RTF saysThe word "MAYDAY" spoken at the start identifies a distress message, and the words "PAN PAN" spoken at the start identifies an urgency message. The words "MAYDAY or "PAN PAN", as appropriate, should preferably be spoken three times at the start of the initial distress or urgency call.

This means that you should use the prefix when you declare the emergency. There have been many examples where pilots have not used these prefixes (for a variety of reasons) and ATC consequently have not fully recognised the seriousness of the situation.

[NZScion]

There is a video floating around of a ThompsonFly 757 (?) which suffers a birdstrike on t/o. You can hear the ATC audio, and after the initial mayay call (spoken 3 times as per the book), the pilot and ATC prefix some transmissions with a single mayday. I'm not sure if this is written in procedure or law anywhere, but it sounds very sensible, particularly to keep unnecessary traffic (read: all other traffic) quiet.

[100m down/10,000m up]

NZS

I saw the video and after that looked for any written information about prefixing the callsign but was not able to find it. Maybe ATCOs could shed some light!

[operationsair]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KhZwsYtNDE

this the thomson mayday.

They call mayday mayday mayday, then after that they became "mayday thomson"

[YYZ]

Without watching the video again as Im about to go out, does he not use the Mayday singular when he changes freq?

If not then I also do not know why he does it, however if the above is correct then it would make sense, though its not written anywhere?

YYZ

[operationsair]

he contacts approach as "mayday thomson 251" one mayday. I think 251 was hes callsign.

[PAPI-74]

I would always keep the MAYDAY prefix, especially in foreign airspace (UK are normally very good and are almost in there with you).
The prefix leaves no doubt and keeps everyone in the loop, inc other pilots.

[keithl]

I, too, have met many pilots who have been taught to prefix every transmission, following the initial call, with Pan or Mayday as appropriate. There is no requirement to do this in any UK, JAR or ICAO doc that I have read. As MJ says, it has some benefits - for example, stops you forgetting to repeat the word when you change to a new freq - but its a bit clumsy and unnecessary, so I don't teach it myself.

[Man Flex 37.5]

Hi Guys

After a mayday or pan has been declared you only need to prefix your call sign on changing to a new frequency, i believe it mentions this in CAP493?

[frontlefthamster]

Definitively... (As a number of UK TREs have bees in their bonets over this at the moment)... :rolleyes:

We already have:


The word "MAYDAY" spoken at the start identifies a distress message, and the words "PAN PAN" spoken at the start identifies an urgency message. The words "MAYDAY or "PAN PAN", as appropriate, should preferably be spoken three times at the start of the initial distress or urgency call.
:)

The initial call from an aircraft in distress is, as the original poster says, the, errr, initial call, which, errr, initiates the distress or urgency condition. Subsequent calls are distress or urgency messages, and thus qualify for the single iteration of MAYDAY or PAN PAN. :ok:

Alles Klar, Herr Komissar? ;)