In the event you are flying an IFR flight plan, and you lose communications with ATC, what should u do next？?

Question

In the event you are flying an IFR flight plan, and you lose communications with ATC, how would you determine the route and altitude to fly for the remainder of your flight?

Answer 1

If communications failure happens in VMC, or if VFR conditions are encountered after the failure and you can stay in VMC, you should continue the flight under VFR and land as soon as practicable



If the failure occurs in IFR conditions, then you should continue your flight, and ATC will also assume that you are continuing, and clear airspace accordingly. The three elements of the navigation are:



Route

Altitude

Leaving the clearance limit in order to shoot the approach



ROUTE

as Assigned

as Vectored

as Expected

as Filed.



1. Assigned: Fly the route assigned in the last ATC clearance received.

2. Vectored: If being radar vectored, fly directly to the fix, route, or airway specified in the vectoring clearance.

3. Expected: In the absence of an assigned route, fly the route that ATC told you to expect (in a further clearance).

4. Filed: In the absence of an assigned or expected routing, fly what you filed in your flight plan.



ALTITUDE



Fly the highest of these three, for the segment of flight you're on:



Assigned Altitude

Expected Altitude

MEA



Plan to leave the clearance limit or the IAF (if the limit was the airport itself) at the time calculated from your flight plan. On the plan was an expected time enroute: add that to your departure time off, and start your instrument approach procedure at that time. If you arrive at the clearance limit before then, hold there until that expected arrival time.

Answer 2

Cherokee has it right.



In a practical sense, I would verify that I have actually lost communications before doing anything. Twice it has happened to me that ATC lost comms, not me. Switch back to the last frequency you were using and query. Also verify you have the correct frequencies tuned in.



After that you follow the rules that Cherokee has written. But there is SOME common sense that has to be thrown into it. Radar vectors can be challenging, especially if you are being vectored to final. Do you now climb to the highest OROCA, and then try to published alitude once established on approach? If I was being vectored to the final approach course, I may decide to climb to the MSA and head for the IAF, so that I have time to decend and make a more controled and stable approach.



On a checkride, always follow the rules laid down, but an examiner may give you a scenario (its all scenario based now!) that will require you to apply some common sense.



Good luck! Talk with your instructor about possible lost comms scenarios for your area.

Answer 3

Squak 7600 and remember a couple of three patterns of letters and keep a copy of 91.185 handy.



Remember C-E-F. In order of preference, and as applicable, continue along the last route Cleared, given to Expect or originally Filed. "Radar vectors" in any of these cases translates to "direct."



Then remember M-E-A. For each segment, maintain the highest of the Minimum enroute altitude, the height told to Expect or the one last Assigned.



If you find VFR conditions anywhere during the process be smart and LAND VFR!



There is a good AOPA article for Flight Training http://flighttraining.aopa.org/magazine/1998/October/199810_Too_quiet_in_the_cockpit.html

Answer 4

you would proceed following the route filed in a flight plan, squawk 7600 and attempt to contact the ATC via different means. ADF can be modulated to transmit human voice, and there are multiple radios in IFR aircraft these days.

Answer 5

You fly your clearance. and squawk 7600. ATC will try to reestablish communications through a relay with other aircraft in the area or VOR voice. In recent years when this happened the crew called ATC on their cell phone.

Answer 6

AVE FAME: for the route -- assigned, vectored, expected; for the altitude -- filed, assigned, MEA, or expected whichever is higher.

Answer 7

All i know off the top of my head is squawk 7600 the rest you can see atc view here:http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/atc/atc0510.html scroll down to 5-10-4. LOST COMMUNICATIONS

and here's your version: http://cfr.vlex.com/vid/91-ifr-operations-two-way-radio-failure-19562353

find the specifics of it here:http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&rgn=div5&view=text&node=14:2.0.1.3.10&idno=14#14:2.0.1.3.10.2.6.48 search for title 14 91.185 in subpart b

Answer 8

Depends. You should see if you can re-establish contact or establish contact on another frequency.

If not, it then depends if you can see and what other instruments are still working.

You would land at the nearest airport - you would not continue for the remainder of your flight.