RADIO FAILURE PROCEDURE
 

ASSUMING A COMPLETE RADIO FALIURE WHAT IS EXPECTED OF A PILOT FLYING IN V.M.C, CONDITIONS AT HIGHER FL (SAY FL 350).I AM INTERESTED IN ICAO PROCEDURE REGARDING LANDING AT SUITABLE AIRPORT VS CONTINUE TO DESTINATION .

In the US, you are expected to remain VMC and land at the nearest suitable airport. The controllers have you and will get other a/c out of your way.

Everyone I've talked to in Air Traffic Control says the AIM procedures are outdated (written many years ago when the radar wasn't nearly as good). They just want you out of the air and on the ground ASAP, even in IMC. Can you imagine the headaches caused by a NORDO flying his route for the last hour or so into JFK?

At FL350 you may well be VMC, but will be flying IFR. Therefore follow the standard ICAO procedure (or local variation) of continuning to your destination, and commencing an approach within the required tolerances of your ETA etc.

Or get your mobile out...

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...proceeding below Decision Height with CAUTION...

Hello! ICAO procedure for lost com: in VMC is to remain in VMC and land at the nearest suitable airfield. It does not matter what altitude you are at or whether you flying IFR!

So how am I going to get from cruise at FL350 over congested airspace, filled with IFR traffic and cloud, down to an airfield that doesn't know I am coming and making frequent heading adjustments (if possible) to stay VMC? ATC would love that.

I think I'll just maintain the flight plan to the last cleared point/destination, sqwking 7600, and start the approach in accordance with the ICAO procedure.

Although we may be talking about different circumstances/situations, and I have been wrong before...I shall check the books when I get in today!

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...proceeding below Decision Height with CAUTION...

AffirmBrest, I agree wit ya. Proceeding to your destination would be a safe thing to do, since your seperation is already correct at the time you lose comm. In a short while, ATC will determine that they've lost contact with you (comm) and will notify the destination airport and everything can be done without rushing.
Besides, if you're VMC at FL350, the airports down below might not be. If you continue, you have your ETA, EAT and stuff so they know where you're gonna show up at what time. If you're just gonna wander on down there at your own discretion, that would be dangerous in congested airspace.
But seriously, in modern airliners, the chance of getting a comm failure with all the comm radios in there is very unlikely.

In Oz, if you have an ATC clearance, proceed as cleared (with some complications if maintained, held or vectored.) If not, land someplace. The mobile is a good idea though, was once responsible for a bunch of helicopters covering a yacht race, no VHF coverage, HF crappy, all on the phone!

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"Station calling Centre, grow a head..."

It is going to be very interesting if your radio fails two hour after airborne, from Kuala Lumpur or Singapore to London Heathrow. You flight will cross many national boundaries that have little comms with their neighbours, and you were initially cleared to a low level (FL280, which is the norms now).

I really hope my company will activate the datalink on our fleet of B747-400.

[This message has been edited by Old Dog (edited 13 May 2001).]

with all the redundent radio and com systems how common is it for a modern air carier aircraft to be NORDO? With all the cell phones around (in flight bags and down back) can't believe there won't be some com capability.

More likely with smaller aircraft. Watched it from a tower cab one day at a non-radar towered airfield and the pilot ended up with a stuck transmitter, so called the FBO with the cell phone and the FBO called the tower, instructions were relayed and everything worked fine.

When on a instrument clearance the procedure of following the clearance is the one in the book and most likely to get the job done with least disruption and risk, but in the final analysis the FAR 91 applies: "the pilot in command is the final authority as to the safe operation of the aircraft."

I've no knowledge of large aircraft operations, but have suffered a complete radio failure in a little aeroplane (and flown non radio anyway on many other occasions).

Standard practice at most UK airfields is to perform a standard overhead join, take a good look at the signal square, and then descend deadside or downwind before continuing the circuit, depending upon which side you find yourself.

I do, by the way, appreciate that this advice is of little use at LHR!

G