Pan-pan

The radiotelephony message PAN-PAN is the international standard urgency signal[1][2][3] that someone aboard a boat, ship, aircraft, or other vehicle uses to declare that they have a situation that is urgent but, for the time being at least, does not pose an immediate danger to anyone's life or to the vessel itself.[4] This is referred to as a state of urgency. This is distinct from a mayday call (distress signal), which means that there is imminent danger to life or to the continued viability of the vessel itself.[5] Radioing pan-pan informs potential rescuers (including emergency services and other craft in the area) that an urgent problem exists, whereas mayday calls on them to drop all other activities and immediately begin a rescue.

The exact representation of PAN-PAN in Morse code is the urgency signal XXX, which was first defined by the International Radiotelegraph Convention of 1927.[6]

Etymology

As with mayday (from venez m'aider, "come help me"), the urgency signal pan-pan derives from French. In French, a panne ([pan], "pahn") is a breakdown, such as a mechanical failure. In English, it is also sometimes pronounced as /pæn/ ("pan").

A three-letter backronym, "possible assistance needed" or "pay attention now" derives from pan. Maritime and aeronautical radio communications courses use those as mnemonics to convey the important difference between mayday and pan-pan.

Usage

To declare pan-pan correctly, the caller repeats it three times: "Pan-pan, pan-pan, pan-pan,"[7][8] then states the intended recipient, either "all stations, all stations, all stations," or a specific station, e.g. "Victoria Coast Guard Radio, Victoria Coast Guard Radio, Victoria Coast Guard Radio." Then the caller states their craft's identification, position, nature of the problem, and the type of assistance or advice they require, if any.[1] An equivalent Morse code signal was "X X X", with each letter sent distinctly. It is also correct to use "pan-pan" as a preface if relaying a "mayday" call from another station that is out of range of the station they are trying to contact. This is common in aviation VHF communications but not in nautical VHF communications.[9]

Nautical examples

Examples of the correct use of a "pan-pan" call from a boat or ship may include the following cases, provided the skipper or master remains confident they can handle the situation, and that there is no current danger to the life of any person or to the safety of the vessel. Once the urgent situation that led to the pan-pan broadcast is resolved or contended with, conventional practice is for the station that initiated the pan-pan call to make a followup broadcast to all stations, declaring that the urgent situation no longer exists.

A call that originates as a "pan-pan" signal might be followed by a Mayday distress signal if the situation deteriorates to the point of "grave and imminent danger," thus warranting immediate action (intervention, assistance, response) on the part of listeners in accordance with standard operating practices for distress signaling.

Fouled propeller, engine failure or out of fuel
Provided the vessel is now either anchored or under sail and safe from any immediate danger of collision or stranding. The crew may plan to clear the propeller, refuel from an onboard supply, hoist sail, or use alternative propulsion. Alternatively, as part of the pan-pan call, the skipper may request a tow from a suitable vessel, if possible, but without immediate urgency.
Small fire on board—now extinguished
Fire is dangerous afloat, but if it was small and contained, and is now certainly put out, and with no injury to people, then a "pan-pan" call is appropriate to warn others that investigations are underway to establish the extent of the damage, clear the smoke from below, and re-establish passage as soon as possible.
Unsure of position
Provided there is no apparent danger of stranding or hitting rocks, a pan-pan call on marine VHF radio may allow nearby coast-stations, and perhaps other vessels to triangulate the source of the transmissions and provide a fix and perhaps advice on the best course to safety.
Man-overboard recovery
If safely recovering a person overboard, a pan-pan call on VHF makes other nearby vessels aware of the situation and ensures that they keep a lookout, avoid coming too close, avoid excessive wake or otherwise interfering. It also alerts them that the recovery vessel is maneuvering for urgent life-saving, and therefore may not manoeuvre' in accordance with International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS). In a more critical situation—the recovery vessel has lost sight of the person overboard, the person overboard is unconscious, there is a danger of hypothermia, or other grave risk to life—a mayday call is more appropriate, so that other nearby vessels can help rather than keep clear.
Overdue vessel
The Canadian and U.S. Coast Guards (and likely similar maritime safety agencies in other countries) issue "urgent marine information broadcasts" concerning vessels reported overdue, as part of the process of a 'communications search' or 'pre-com' phase of uncertain, possible distress, as determined under the authority of a maritime rescue co-ordination centre or joint maritime-aeronautical rescue co-ordination centre.[10] The message content, a description of the vessel under the apprehension of being missing, its last known position, the date or time last heard from, and the supposed route or passage plan of the vessel, is preceded by the procedure words pan-pan and is addressed to "all stations." Any stations having information concerning the whereabouts of the named vessel are asked to communicate with and report same to the nearest coast guard station.
Imminent collision alert
A pan-pan call is warranted to attempt urgent radio contact with an approaching vessel that may be in danger or is approaching a dangerous close-quarters situation that would risk collision. This would be a 'bridge-to-bridge' communication, and could be combined with five or more short horn or whistle blasts, which is the "Your intentions are unclear or not understood" signal.[11] A short blast is 1 second long, compared to a prolonged blast of 5 seconds under the COLREGS. An urgent warning could also be given over the radio, for example, if the called vessel appears unaware that it is at risk of striking a person in a small boat or a swimmer. A loud hailer could also be used along with a radio warning.
Medical assistance
A "pan-pan medico" call is officially obsolete, but was for cases where someone needed medical help at sea. An immediate risk to life makes a "mayday" call more appropriate. If the vessel is heading to shore and wants an ambulance crew at the dock, the local Coast Guard station can arrange this. A doctor or other trained medical advisor may also be available on the radio, perhaps by patching through via telephone from ashore or from a nearby vessel.[12]

Marine rescue organisations, such as Coastal Patrol, Coast Guard, and Search and Rescue listen on marine radio frequencies for all distress calls including "pan-pan". These organisations can coordinate or assist and can relay such calls to other stations that may be better able to do so.

Aeronautical examples

In September 1998, Swissair Flight 111 used the call during an emergency landing requests as a result of the electrical fire that subsequently destroyed the aircraft.[13] Also, in the wake of Avianca Flight 52, the call is frequently used to denote situations where fuel is getting low for given conditions, but not yet at a critical emergency state.[14] Qantas Flight QF-74 used the call "pan pan pan" when it had an engine failure on its fourth engine soon after take off from San Francisco. Qantas Flight 72 (QF-72) issued a pan-pan when the aircraft experienced rapid, uncommanded movements in which the plane dropped several hundred feet without instruction from the flight crew. Several passengers and crew suffered major and minor injuries, and so the call was upgraded to "mayday".

Qantas Flight 32 issued a pan-pan when one of its four engines suffered an uncontained engine failure shortly after take-off in a flight from Singapore to Sydney.[15]

Air Berlin Flight 9721, on an Airbus A330 with registration D-ALPA, issued a pan-pan on 5 May 2012, 15 minutes before touchdown at Munich from Palma Mallorca, when the crew reported fatigue to the traffic controllers and requested autoland. They in turn had to organize airspace for automatic landing 15 minutes later.[16]

On 15 December 2010, an RAF CH-47 Chinook helicopter with serial number ZH891 was on a daytime tasking in flight within the Green Zone in Baghdad when it came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. A 7.62-mm round penetrated the cockpit and hit the instrument panel, severing 36 wires leading to it from various instruments. The wiring loom was sheared as a result, which caused an instruments failure without damaging vital components. As the Chinook was still able to fly level, pilot Flight Lieutenant Alex "Frenchie" Duncan decided to issue a pan-pan rather than a mayday to Bastion Tower. The Chinook made it back to Camp Bastion safely without further incident.[17]

On 12 October 2013, Cyprus Airways flight number CY303 from Vienna to Larnaca, Cyprus, operated by an Airbus 319-100, registration number 5B-DCN, issued a pan-pan over Thessaloniki, Greece, due to a crack on the pilots' windscreen. The pilots immediately descended to 23,000 feet to reduce pressure and the risk of the windscreen breaking. The pilots decided the best solution was to land at Eleftherios Venizelos airport in Athens, Greece, something they managed after 30 minutes of flight.[18]

In February 2016, Virgin Atlantic flight VS025 from London to New York City issued a pan-pan when west of Ireland, after the co-pilot reported feeling unwell due to an incident with a laser soon after take-off. The plane returned to Heathrow Airport as a "precautionary measure".[19]

In March 2017, the crew of a Regional Express (Rex) flight ZL768, from Albury to Sydney, issued a pan-pan when one of the two propellers of the Saab 340 plane fell off over the Sydney suburb of Revesby. The aircraft was about 20 km from its destination, and it landed safely at Sydney Airport. The passengers were shaken but uninjured. The propeller was found in bushland at Revesby four days later.[20]

Medical advice

One special case of "pan-pan" is to ask for medical advice. This is a normal "pan-pan" call that includes a phrase such as "request medical advice" and the craft identification, position. and nature of the medical problem. This type of call is specifically for getting a doctor's advice for a medical problem that does not, in the opinion of the skipper or master of the vessel, seem life-threatening. The phrase "pan-pan medico" appears in some older reference books, but is no longer in official use.[12]

Once patched through, a doctor or other medical expert on land or in another vessel typically asks the radio operator to detail the symptoms and history of the condition, and provide any available patient medical history. The doctor typically recommends first aid treatment and gives other advice based on what resources are available on board. In some cases, the medical issue may be urgent enough to escalate the pan-pan to a mayday call for immediate intervention by rescuers, if possible.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Safety and Distress Radiotelephone Procedures". Transport Canada. 28 June 2013. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  2. ↑ District Eleven Response (dr). "Search and Rescue: Calling the Coast Guard". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  3. ↑ 1st Coast Guard District (6 September 2001). "Special Notice To Mariners" (PDF). United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  4. ↑ "RIC-22 — General Radiotelephone Operating Procedures". ic.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-08-11.
  5. ↑ "RIC-22 — General Radiotelephone Operating Procedures". ic.gc.ca.
  6. ↑ "Safety Of Life At Sea" (PDF).
  7. ↑ Transport Canada: "PAN PAN"
  8. ↑ "Air Traffic Organization Policy, Order JO7110.65W" (PDF). U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration.
  9. ↑ Admirality List Of Radio Signals, 2012 Vol.5 page 88 B3
  10. ↑ "Marine Communications and Traffic Services". Government of Canada.
  11. ↑ "Navigation Rules Online". uscg.gov.
  12. 1 2 Tim Bartlett (2009). VHF handbook. Southampton: The Royal Yachting Association. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-905104-03-1.
  13. ↑ "Transportation Safety Board of Canada - Aviation Investigation Report A98H0003". tsb.gc.ca.
  14. ↑ NTSB Accident Report
  15. ↑ "Nocookies". The Australian.
  16. ↑ "The Aviation Herald". avherald.com.
  17. ↑ Duncan, Alex (2012). Sweating the Metal. London: Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 297–306, 308. ISBN 978-1-444-70800-4.
  18. ↑ "Incident: Cyprus A319 near Athens on Oct 13th 2013, cracked windshield". The Aviation Herald. 13 October 2013.
  19. ↑ "Virgin Atlantic flight back in UK after 'laser incident'". BBC News.
  20. ↑ Brook, Benedict; AAP (2017-03-21). "Regional Express plane's propeller found in south west Sydney suburbs". news.com.au. Retrieved 2017-03-21.
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