Flying over oceans has become much safer than it once was, with hundreds of planes making the hop every day. However, flying over oceans without few diversionary airports nearby still poses a potential risk in case of an emergency. To tackle this, airlines operate under oceanic contingency procedures, which can be used in certain emergency cases. Let’s find out what these procedures are.
Oceanic contingency procedures
Last month, the FAA laid out a new set of procedures of how pilots flying over oceans can in case of an emergency. The emergencies include sudden meteorological or weather events (severe turbulence etc.), aircraft system failures, emergencies onboard the flight, or other situations.
In any of these cases, if the pilots cannot communicate with air traffic control for any reason, they may follow certain procedures. The aircraft can turn 30 degrees and fly on a path five nautical miles parallel to the original. On the parallel path, pilots must ensure they are 500 feet offset from the normally used altitude (or 1000 feet is above 41,000 feet).
Aside from just physical movements, pilots should also switch on all external lights, watch for nearby aircraft, monitor the traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS), squawk 7700, and declare an emergency with ATC. All of this done to ensure planes to do not enter the flight path of another aircraft, which are cleared before takeoff.
The FAA has an extensive list of instructions for pilots during such an oceanic emergency, which are critical to ensuring a safe flight. So how often do pilots ever encounter situations where they may need to use oceanic contingency procedures?
Rare event
According to data from AvHerald, only a handful of flights every year out of the tens of thousands have to use contingency measures. One such incident occurred last week when a Maleth Aero A340-600 had to perform oceanic contingency procedures due to severe turbulence over northeast of Goose Bay, Canada.
The flight was from Bournemouth, UK to New York (JFK) and flight expected moderate turbulence over the Atlantic. However, 660 nautical miles from Goose Bay, the turbulence became severe, forcing the crew to use contingency measures, descending to 34,000 fleet to avoid the area.
The aircraft was later out of turbulence and received clearance to continue its journey at 34,000 feet. The plane landed safely with the five people on board and subsequent checks found the aircraft without issues.
Pilots usually use oceanic contingency plans when a high risk is present, with past uses being for cracked windshields, navigation issues, engine shutdown, fuel imbalance and more. However, modern aircraft are the safest ever made and can handle most issues without require emergency operations. The extended range of engines, also known as ETOPS, ensures planes can divert to nearby airports in nearly every situation.
While flying over oceans does pose some additional risks compared to continental flights, prompting FAA guidelines, most passengers are highly unlikely to ever face such situations on their flights.
Did you know about oceanic contingency procedures before? Have you ever had to divert during a flight? Let us know in the comments below!