Urgency call for a passenger with a medical problem
You are pilot-in-command of a Beechcraft Bonanza carrying three passengers on a VFR flight from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu at 9,500 feet. Twenty minutes after departure, a passenger becomes pale, sweaty and short of breath, and says he has chest pain. You are 40 nm from Brunei and 90 nm from Kota Kinabalu. You have a serviceable radio and transponder, and you are in contact with Brunei Approach. Your passenger is conscious but deteriorating. You are not a doctor and have no medical training beyond first aid.
1. Should you declare a distress or an urgency condition, and what exact call would you make?
Read the worked answer
This is an urgency condition, not a distress condition: the aircraft is not in immediate danger and the passenger is conscious, but there is a serious medical problem requiring priority. Use PAN PAN.
Call: "Brunei Approach, Bonanza 9012, PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN, passenger with suspected heart attack, 40 miles north of Brunei at 9,500 feet, request priority landing and medical assistance on arrival."
Give position, level, nature of the problem, number of persons on board, and what you want. If the passenger becomes unconscious or the situation becomes critical, upgrade to MAYDAY. Do not use MAYDAY merely to get faster service; the distinction matters to ATC's response.
2. What should you expect ATC to do, and what should you do while waiting?
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Expect ATC to give you priority, clear you for an immediate approach, provide vectors and descent, and alert the airport medical services. ATC may ask for the number of persons on board, fuel endurance, and whether you need an ambulance.
Meanwhile: fly the aircraft, engage the autopilot if fitted and able, and ask a passenger to attend to the patient. Keep the patient still and reassure him. Do not leave the controls unattended. Ask ATC for the shortest route and, if able, request a descent. Have your passenger briefing ready: cabin secure, seats upright, no smoking. If you are unsure of the patient's condition, say so - ATC can relay to medical staff, who may give advice by radio.
3. After landing, what communications and reporting obligations remain?
Read the worked answer
On landing, advise ATC that you are on the ground and where medical help is needed, and follow marshalling instructions. Ask for the ambulance to meet the aircraft. Once the patient is handed over, cancel the urgency condition: "Bonanza 9012, urgency condition cancelled, passenger handed to medical services."
Then make a written report to the operator and, if required by the State, to the authority. Keep a record of the times of the PAN call, the landing, and the handover. If ATC requests a report on the occurrence, provide it. Review the flight for lessons: whether earlier diversion would have been better, and whether your emergency briefing covered medical events.