010 Air Law

010-11 Search and Rescue (SAR)

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Annex 12- Search and Rescue

Source: PtAF 751 Squadron Facebook Page

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Uncertainty phase. A situation wherein uncertainty exists as to the safety of an aircraft and its occupants.

Alert phase. A situation wherein apprehension exists as to the safety of an aircraft and its occupants.

Distress phase. A situation wherein there is a reasonable certainty that an aircraft and its occupants are threatened by
grave and imminent danger and require immediate assistance.
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INCERFA

ALERFA

DITRESFA

Emergency phase. A generic term meaning, as the case may be, uncertainty phase, alert phase or distress phase.
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Operator. A person, organization or enterprise engaged in or offering to engage in an aircraft operation.

Pilot-in-command. The pilot designated by the operator, or in the case of general aviation, the owner, as being in command
and charged with the safe conduct of a flight.
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Rescue coordination centre (RCC). A unit responsible for promoting efficient organization of search and rescue services
and for coordinating the conduct of search and rescue operations within a search and rescue region.

State of Registry. The State on whose register the aircraft is entered.

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SAR - Organization

Source: PtAF 751 Squadron Facebook Page

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Contracting States shall, individually or in cooperation with other States, arrange for the establishment and prompt
provision of search and rescue services within their territories to ensure that assistance is rendered to persons in distress.
Such services shall be provided on a 24-hour basis.
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Those portions of the high seas or areas of undetermined sovereignty for which search and rescue services will be
established shall be determined on the basis of regional air navigation agreements.

Contracting States having accepted the responsibility to provide search and rescue services in such areas shall thereafter,
individually or in cooperation with other States, arrange for the services to be established and provided in accordance
with the provisions of this Annex.
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Basic elements of search and rescue services shall include:

- a legal framework
- a responsible authority
- organized available resources
- communication facilities, and
- a workforce skilled in coordination and operational functions.
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In providing assistance to aircraft in distress and to survivors of aircraft accidents, Contracting States shall do so
regardless of the nationality or status of such persons or the circumstances in which such persons are found.

Contracting States having accepted responsibility to provide search and rescue services shall use search and rescue
units and other available facilities to assist any aircraft or its occupants that are or appear to be in a state of
emergency.
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Where separate aeronautical and maritime rescue coordination centres serve the same area, States shall ensure the
closest practicable coordination between the centres.
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Contracting States shall delineate the search and rescue regions within which they will provide search and rescue
services. Such regions shall not overlap and neighbouring regions shall be contiguous.

Search and rescue regions are established to ensure the provision of adequate communication infrastructure, efficient
distress alert routing and proper operational coordination to effectively support search and rescue services.

Neighbouring States may cooperate to establish search and rescue services within a single SAR region.
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The delineation of search and rescue regions is determined on the basis of technical and operational considerations and is
not related to the delineation of boundaries between States.

Recommendation.— Search and rescue regions should, in so far as practicable, be coincident with corresponding flight
information regions and, with respect to those areas over the high seas, maritime search and rescue regions.
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Source: https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/CG-5R/nsarc/IMO%20Maritime%20SAR%20Regions.pdf
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Source: Wikimedia, Public Domain

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Contracting States shall establish a rescue coordination centre in each search and rescue region.

Note.— A Contracting State may establish a rescue coordination centre with an associated search and rescue region that,
in accordance with regional air navigation agreement, extends over an area greater than its sovereign airspace.
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Recommendation.— Where all or part of the airspace of a Contracting State is included within a search and
rescue region associated with a rescue coordination centre in another Contracting State, that former State should
establish a rescue subcentre subordinate to the rescue coordination centre wherever this would improve the efficiency of
search and rescue services within its territory.
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Source: Portuguese Air Force Webpage

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Source: Portuguese Air Force Webpage

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Each rescue coordination centre and, as appropriate, rescue subcentre, shall be staffed 24 hours a day by trained personnel
proficient in the use of the language used for radiotelephony communications.

Recommendation.— RCC personnel involved in the conduct of radiotelephony communications should be proficient in
the use of the English language.
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COSPAS-SARSAT is a SAR satellite-aided tracking system and a space system for the search of vessels in distress.
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Procedures for rescue coordination centres during emergency phases

Australian Transport Safety Bureau, CC BY-SA 3.0 AU <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/au/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons
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Upon the occurrence of an uncertainty phase, the rescue coordination centre shall cooperate to the utmost with air traffic
services units and other appropriate agencies and services in order that incoming reports may be speedily evaluated.
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Upon the occurrence of an alert phase the rescue coordination centre shall immediately alert search and rescue units and
initiate any necessary action.

Search and Rescue (SAR) services prepare their personnel and equipment for a potential SAR operation.
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Upon the occurrence of a distress phase, the rescue coordination centre shall:
a) immediately initiate action by search and rescue units in accordance with the appropriate plan of operation;
b) ascertain the position of the aircraft, estimate the degree of uncertainty of this position, etc, etc
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Operating procedures for non-SAR crews

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When a pilot-in-command observes that either another aircraft or a surface craft is in distress, the pilot shall, if possible
and unless considered unreasonable or unnecessary:
a) keep the craft in distress in sight until compelled to leave the scene or advised by the rescue coordination centre
that it is no longer necessary;
b) determine the position of the craft in distress;
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c) as appropriate, report to the rescue coordination centre or air traffic services unit as much of the following information
as possible:
— type of craft in distress, its identification and condition;
— its position, expressed in geographical or grid coordinates or in distance and true bearing from a distinctive landmark or
from a radio navigation aid;
— time of observation expressed in hours and minutes Coordinated Universal Time (UTC);
— number of persons observed;
— whether persons have been seen to abandon the craft in distress;
— on-scene weather conditions;
— apparent physical condition of survivors;
— apparent best ground access route to the distress site;
and
d) act as instructed by the rescue coordination centre or the air traffic services unit.
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If the first aircraft to reach the scene of an accident is not a search and rescue aircraft, it shall take charge
of on-scene activities of all other aircraft subsequently arriving until the first search and rescue aircraft reaches the scene
of the accident.

If, in the meantime, such aircraft is unable to establish communication with the appropriate rescue coordination centre or
air traffic services unit, it shall, by mutual agreement, hand over to an aircraft capable of establishing and maintaining
such communications until the arrival of the first search and rescue aircraft.
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When it is necessary for an aircraft to convey information to survivors or surface rescue units, and two-way
communication its not available, it shall, if practicable, drop communication equipment that would enable direct contact to
be established, or convey the information by dropping a hard copy message.

When a ground signal has been displayed, the aircraft shall indicate whether the signal has been understood
or not by the means described previously or, if this is not practicable, by making the appropriate visual signal.
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Whenever a distress transmission is intercepted by a pilot-incommand of an aircraft, the pilot shall, if feasible:
a) acknowledge the distress transmission;
b) record the position of the craft in distress if given;
c) take a bearing on the transmission;
d) inform the appropriate rescue coordination centre or air traffic services unit of the distress transmission, giving
all available information; and
e) at the pilot’s discretion, while awaiting instructions, proceed to the position given in the transmission.
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Search and Rescue Signals

Source: PtAF 751 Squadron Facebook Page

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The air-to-surface and surface-to-air SAR visual signals shall, when used, have the meaning indicated
therein.

They shall be used only for the purpose indicated and no other signals likely to be confused with them shall be used.
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Source: USA FAA AIM

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The following signals by aircraft mean that the ground signals have been understood:
a) during the hours of daylight:
— by rocking the aircraft’s wings;
b) during the hours of darkness:
— flashing on and off twice the aircraft’s landing lights or, if not so equipped, by switching on and off
twice its navigation lights.

Lack of the above signal indicates that the ground signal is not understood.
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“General Declaration" is a document which informs on the crew, origin/destination of the flight, operator, Date, Flight
Number, aircraft registration, number of passengers, and health information.
It’s a customs declaration on who and what is aboard the aircraft.

It may (or may not) have to be presented to arriving airport/customs authorities.

"A situation wherein apprehension exists as to the safety of an aircraft and its occupants" is
the definition for:

A alert phase.

B emergency phase.

C uncertainty phase.

D distress phase.
What do you do, if feasible, after receiving a distress message from an aircraft near your
position?

A Proceed to the location of occurrence and stay there and coordinate the operation.

B You try to help by transmitting emergency messages on 121.5 MHz.

C You fly to the next airfield and write report.

D You try to understand the message and carry on with your flight.
When flying en-route you intercept an emergency transmission from an aircraft in distress.
Your actions will include, where possible:

A Acknowledge the transmission, and begin to search for the aircraft in distress.

B Hold at your current position and coordinate the SAR operation.

C Record the bearing of the transmission, and continue on your way.

D Enter a holding pattern and await instructions.

You are flying over the NAT region when you intercept a distress call. You record the message, get a
bearing on it from the ADF, and inform Shanwick control. The radio operator at Shanwick tells you to
standby. What should you consider doing while awaiting instructions?

A Descend to low level and carry out a surface search for ships.

Call your operator and advise him that you are now on SAR duty and will need to divert to
B nearest aerodrome at the end of your duty.

C Proceed to the position given in the distress message.

D Make a general call on 121.5 asking other airplanes to assist.

When an aircraft crashes in an area not owned by a certain state who is responsible for carrying out
SAR activities?

A The state of the operator.

B The state of registry.

C The one who is determined on the basis of regional air navigation agreements.

D The state closest to the place of occurrence.