Lost Aircraft Procedures

• Confess:

  • State plainly that you are unsure of position and request the assistance needed.
  • Record the time, heading, altitude, fuel state, last positively identified point, and the conditions being encountered.

• Climb:

  • Climb only when weather, airspace, terrain, obstacles, aircraft performance, and remaining fuel make it safe and useful.
  • A safe climb may improve radio and navigation reception, radar coverage, terrain clearance, and visual range.
  • If maneuvering is needed to limit displacement, choose a safe area and altitude, maintain an outside scan, and avoid fixating on the chart or avionics.

• Conserve:

  • Check fuel quantity, consumption, daylight, weather, altitude, workload, and reachable landing options.
  • Use aircraft-specific power and mixture guidance to preserve fuel without compromising terrain clearance, weather avoidance, or aircraft control.
  • Once position and a safe course are established, recompute groundspeed, time, and fuel remaining and change the plan before margins become critical.

• Communicate:

  • Request assistance early on the frequency already in use or from an appropriate ATC or Flight Service facility.
  • If ordinary channels fail, 121.5 megahertz (MHz) may be used for an urgency or distress communication. State the situation, last known position and time, heading, altitude, fuel remaining, persons aboard, intentions, and assistance requested as applicable.
  • Use PAN-PAN for an urgency condition or MAYDAY for distress. Squawk 7700 when a distress or urgency condition warrants alerting radar facilities; simply being uncertain of position does not automatically require an emergency code.

• Comply:

  • Read back and follow ATC assistance when it is understood, safe, and within the aircraft and pilot's capabilities.
  • Advise ATC immediately if a heading, altitude, route, or other instruction would enter cloud, conflict with terrain or obstacles, violate an operating limitation, or otherwise cannot be accepted safely.
  • Remember that VFR (Visual Flight Rules) radar assistance is advisory; the pilot remains responsible for aircraft control, weather avoidance, terrain clearance, and regulatory compliance.

• Stabilize the airplane in a safe area and at a safe altitude before devoting attention to position recovery.
• Record heading, time, altitude, fuel, and the last positively identified point; compare outside landmarks with the chart and planned track.
• Cross-check independent sources such as pilotage, dead reckoning, a properly functioning GPS (Global Positioning System), identified ground-based navigation facilities, and ATC radar assistance.
• A climb may improve visual range, communications, radar coverage, or navigation reception, but only when weather, airspace, terrain, and aircraft performance permit.

1. Maintain positive aircraft control at all times
2. Remain calm
3. Conserve fuel using the aircraft's approved power and mixture guidance while maintaining safe altitude, airspeed, weather clearance, and terrain and obstacle margins.
4. Maintain situational awareness, using a sectional chart and NAVAIDs as follows:

   • Sectional:

     • Verify and align the heading indicator with the magnetic compass as appropriate
     • Turn the sectional chart to match your heading
     • Watch for prominent landmarks
     • Match the landmarks to the sectional chart.

   • NAVAIDs:

     • Verify and align the heading indicator with the magnetic compass as appropriate
     • Tune and identify an available VOR (Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range) and/or NDB (Nondirectional Beacon) station
     • Locate the aircraft position using radials/bearings
     • Plot a course to proceed directly to the destination or to intercept the planned course as appropriate
     • Use the GPS:
       • Use NRST to locate the nearest airport or VOR, or
       • Use the moving map
   • Obtain assistance from ATC or FSS (Flight Service Station)
   • If unable to establish contact with anyone, squawk 7700 and transmit "in the blind" on 121.50 MHz to obtain assistance
   • Carefully monitor the amount of fuel and make a precautionary landing, preferably at an airport, before exhausting the fuel supply

• Failure to find a prominent landmark from which to calibrate position on sectional chart
  • Confirm position using more than one recognizable charted feature instead of forcing a single landmark to match the expected location.
• Failure to monitor and subsequently conserve fuel
  • Reassess usable fuel and endurance early and select a reachable landing option before fuel becomes critical.
• Improper calculations
  • Recheck the last known position, elapsed time, heading, and estimated groundspeed before refining the position estimate.
• Not turning toward an airport
  • Once position and a safe route are established, proceed toward a suitable reachable airport rather than continuing an uncertain course.
• Not having the heading indicator set to the Magnetic Compass
  • Check the heading indicator against the magnetic compass in steady unaccelerated flight and correct it as appropriate to the installed system.
• Failure to have sufficient altitude to gain a better view of the terrain
  • Consider climbing for better visibility and radio reception only when weather, terrain, airspace, traffic, and aircraft performance permit.
• Failure to utilize the radio aids to assist in determining position
  • Use available navigation equipment to establish position and cross-check the result against the chart.
• Failure to ask for assistance if unable to determine position
  • Request assistance early and clearly communicate position uncertainty, fuel status, and any immediate hazards.

Instrument-Flight Position Uncertainty

• Making an uncoordinated route or altitude change while uncertain of position.
  • Maintain aircraft control and the clearance when safe, tell air traffic control about the uncertainty, and request assistance.
• Following questionable navigation guidance without checking its validity.
  • Cross-check navigation sources, receiver settings, active legs, and equipment status before relying on the displayed course.

• Still looking for something? Continue searching:

• Federal Aviation Administration - Pilot/Controller Glossary.
• CFI Notebook.net - Emergency Voice Reports.
• Airman Certification Standards (Task D) Lost Procedures (Airplane Single-Engine Land (ASEL) and Airplane Single-Engine Sea (ASES)).