Downed aircraft procedures
Forced down in uninhabited area: goal is to be found, not to find help.
Stay put:
- Stay with aircraft and ELT (TC AIM SAR 3.6, SAR 4.7.2).
- Aircraft easier to see than people; search targets its last known position first.
- Keep ELT running.
- Do not walk off to find a road or settlement: leaves search area.
Make site easy to find:
- Some searches may last at least 24 hr (SAR 4.7.1): prepare for a wait.
- Make site as conspicuous as possible: eyes drawn to anything unnatural against terrain.
- Keep aircraft cleared of snow (SAR 4.7.1).
Survival signals (TC AIM SAR 4.7.1):
| Signal | When / how |
|---|---|
| Campfire | Build as soon as possible after landing |
| Green material (boughs, fresh leaves, grasses) | Large pile, ready to throw on fire the moment aircraft seen or heard |
| Three signal fires in a triangle | Standard ground distress signal |
| One large smoky fire | Also draws attention |
| Fluorescent conspicuity panel staked to the ground | By day; also serves as lean-to shelter and blanket for some warmth |
| Sunlight off signal mirror or shiny metal | By day |
| Flashlight, headlamp, strobe, camera flash | By night |
Ground-to-air symbols: see ground-air-signals.
Trap: leaving the wreckage to self-rescue is wrong twice: it separates from ELT signal and leaves search area.
References
- TC AIM SAR 3.6
- TC AIM SAR 4.7.1
- TC AIM SAR 4.7.2