Glider Mayday...Texas Panhandle...4/28/13

Traveling home today on my regular airline run from Tokyo, as we passed the eastern Texas panhandle, we heard a weak "mayday" call on VHF guard. Although we (and several others, including ground agencies out of Lubbock and Amarillo) replied, we never got a response back from the pilot. Perhaps too low? Being unable to establish a comm link with the Mayday aircraft and with other ground and airborne resources trying to make contact, we continued to DFW and passed out of range. My concern for the pilot, however, remains.

The pilot id'ed himself as "N130MG" when giving the mayday, which the FAA database shows is listed to a JS 1b out of Plainview, Texas. Any Caprock Soaring Club members (or anyone else for that matter) participate in the rec.soaring forums available and know what the issue was, and more importantly, if the pilot is ok?

Regards,

Rob S.
ASW-19b "ZAP"
Austin, Texas

Pilot is OK.

I don't know anything about the pilot (glad he's ok) but am curious
what (guard) frequency should I use for a Mayday if I ever get into
the situation? I assume 121.5 same as with ELTs.

Thanks, John

John,

My experience has been (at least in the USA) that using 121.5 (VHF Guard) in a "mayday" situation is a good first step towards getting help coming to you...but it will quickly be swamped by well-meaning, curious folks (like me) who will dog-pile onto the frequency and render it practically useless for further comm. Today's event quickly degenerated into a melee, with airliners, bizjets, ATC facilities all stepping on each other as they tried to respond to the in-distress pilot.

My 2 cents would be to be your "own first responder" and SAR director if ever in that situation. Go on 121.5 to get some attention your way ("Mayday")....then pick the strongest, best able to help responder (spelled "loiter time") and direct them onto a discreet freq (123.3; 123.45, etc) to coordinate specific needs, SAR coordinates, etc. I had to do this very thing in a USAF SAR effort many years ago I was involved in, just to avoid the well-meaning, but interfering folks on the frequency from stepping on the downed folks I was trying to get position data, victim condition, etc., info from. Guard frequency became totally unusable, and we had to go to a backup freq to pass info.

All of us in the military/airline biz since 9-11 are much more diligent about maintaining a listening watch on VHF/UHF Guard frequencies due to interception procedures initiated after those events. A cry for help on 121.5 in the USA, in a non-remote location (and due to line of sight...many remote ones) will get the Mounties headed your way, but you will need to (if able) take command of the intial comm effort and direct those most able to help you to another freq so as to best pass the info you'll want the SAR or other folks to know.

Hope that helped and answered the question.

Rob S.

ps-I too, am glad to hear the pilot of N130MG is safe! I worried about him all the way home!

Folks in the US. I would like you all to know that if you have a Mayday
situation that you use the appropriate frequency 121.500. Airline pilots
frequently monitor this frequency and can provide assistance especially if
you are low. ATC facilities said they are no longer monitoring this
frequency but that is not necessarily the case. 121.5 is called the GUARD
frequency. A lot of people monitor this frequency and can offer air to air
communication and assistance. Just Do not call to order Pizza.
Doug
American Arlines pilot
ASW-20C
6A

Originally Posted by Doug Mueller

Folks in the US.

Not only in the US, also in Europe.

On Monday, April 29, 2013 12:44:17 AM UTC-4, Doug Mueller wrote:
ATC facilities said they are no longer monitoring this
frequency but that is not necessarily the case.


Air Traffic Control in the US still monitors guard (121.5 MHz). However, satellite location finding support was discontinued in 2009 for all 121.5 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT).

On Sunday, April 28, 2013 7:21:01 PM UTC-6, RAS56 wrote:
Traveling home today on my regular airline run from Tokyo, as we passed the eastern Texas panhandle, we heard a weak "mayday" call on VHF guard. Although we (and several others, including ground agencies out of Lubbock and Amarillo) replied, we never got a response back from the pilot. Perhaps too low? Being unable to establish a comm link with the Mayday aircraft and with other ground and airborne resources trying to make contact, we continued to DFW and passed out of range. My concern for the pilot, however, remains..



The pilot id'ed himself as "N130MG" when giving the mayday, which the FAA database shows is listed to a JS 1b out of Plainview, Texas. Any Caprock Soaring Club members (or anyone else for that matter) participate in the rec..soaring forums available and know what the issue was, and more importantly, if the pilot is ok?



Regards,



Rob S.

ASW-19b "ZAP"

Austin, Texas

It appears that the JS-1 flight has now been posted on the OLC. For comments it says "Bird Strike" so as mentioned, hopefully the pilot is OK and let us hope that, if there is damage, it is minor. Hopefully, we will get some additional details in the next few days. I am just glad the pilot is OK and it appears from the OLC trace that the ship made it back to Plainview so that is a good sign.
Thx - Renny