What does it mean when an airplane declares emergency?

An emergency can be either a distress or urgency condition as defined in the Pilot/Controller Glossary. Pilots do not hesitate to declare an emergency when they are faced with distress conditions such as fire, mechanical failure, or structural damage.



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Once a pilot has declared an emergency, a chain of events is initiated by ATC. If necessary, controllers will assist the pilot in finding a suitable airport for landing, and begin coordinating with the control facility for that airport.

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Normally, a forced landing is also an emergency landing because the underlying cause of the event is often a good reason for declaring an emergency (e.g. an inextinguishable fire or smoke situation on board, engine failure of a single-engine aircraft, extensive structural damage, etc.).

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As part of the certification process, aircraft manufacturers are required to demonstrate that an aircraft, in maximum density configuration, can be completely evacuated within 90 seconds using only half of the total number of emergency exits.

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1 Syncope or near-syncope is the most commonly experienced in-flight medical problem, followed by respiratory symptoms and nausea or vomiting.

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Seventeen years ago, in the space of 74 minutes, four American planes were hijacked. The date was 11 September 2001. A year later, the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act was passed, allowing US pilots - working for US airlines - to carry guns in the cockpit.

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A doctor may not always be seated in the cabin on your flight, but most commercial airlines are aware that in-flight medical emergencies can happen (I've written about one or two such instances myself in my time at USA TODAY). Most carriers contract with on-the-ground experts in emergency medicine at altitude.

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No Legal Duty, but Potentially an Ethical One The ethical duty stems from the fact that doctors and other medical professionals don't lose their training simply because they are off duty and out of uniform.

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In the middle, at the back Nonetheless, a TIME investigation that looked at 35 years of aircraft accident data found the middle rear seats of an aircraft had the lowest fatality rate: 28%, compared with 44% for the middle aisle seats. This logically makes sense too.

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Most of the survivors were sitting behind first class, towards the front of the plane. Nonetheless, a TIME investigation that looked at 35 years of aircraft accident data found the middle rear seats of an aircraft had the lowest fatality rate: 28%, compared with 44% for the middle aisle seats.

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The dimming of cabin lights only happens when it is dusk, dawn or dark outside the aircraft. This is a safety measure, and is to ensure your eyes are adjusted to the gloom enough to see the floor lights leading you to safety along the aisle in the event of a crash or emergency evacuation.

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Directs and assists passengers in emergency procedures, such as evacuating a plane following an emergency landing. Prepares passengers and aircraft for landing, following procedures. Administers first aid to passengers in distress.

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