Squawking 7700 is not rare since pilots choose to do so for any emergency that requires swift assistance.
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Reserved codes are used in particular situations when an aircraft wants to communicate something to ATC urgently. The most well know of these is the code 7700. This is used to indicate an emergency of any kind.
Code 7700. This is the code for a general emergency. 7700 can be entered into the transponder for a variety of reasons, and some of the most common include medical emergencies, engine failure, problems with pressurization or landing gear, issues with flight control, and more.
What is the significance of “Squawking 7700” and when is 7700 needed? Declaring an emergency means the crew determines they have an “urgency” or “distress” situation. “Urgency” means the crew is concerned about the safety of the flight and needs timely (but not necessarily immediate) assistance.
It's not very common these days. Squawk (transponder) is primarily for ATC purposes, and if you're already talking to ATC, there's usually no reason to squawk 7700. Modern radar automation systems give the controller the capability of mimicking a 7700 squawk for an aircraft with a simple keyboard entry.
Setting a squawk of 7700 on the transponder shows that the aircraft is presently dealing with an emergency. The pilot can set it proactively or at air traffic control's request following a 'pan' or 'mayday' call. The squawk code 7700 is a 'catch all' code used for any emergency scenario.
If the 7500 squawk code is mistakenly selected, the pilot will immediately receive a call from air traffic control asking for confirmation. At this point, the pilot in command or the first officer is able to inform the transponder code has been used by mistake, and that there is no hijacked aircraft.
Red: When an aircraft is displayed as red that means that you are currently following that specific aircraft on the map or that the aircraft's transponder is squawking an emergency code. These codes are 7500 (Hijack), 7600 (Communication Equipment Failure), 7700 (General Emergency)
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