Career pilot here, USA based. As others have mentioned pretty much everything in aviation is legislated, standardized, and organized in checklists. However, the actual successful application of procedures and tone / emotion while applying are going to vary across the pilot’s experience and background. Your war veteran helicopter pilot that’s been shot down multiple times and now flies tours of the Grand Canyon, when losing their one engine may continue giving the tour script to the passengers after quickly sending out a distress call (true story). Cessna Bob (generic name for a guy who gets their private pilots license, basically a drivers license, minimum 40 hours of training (not a lot)) might freak out and panic and fail to do proper procedures, or Cessna Bob could calmly follow the checklist and save the day.
Not sure of the broader context of your MC being a kid but knowing all about plane crashes, but the biggest thing is always just getting the information out there. This will depend on if you’re in controlled airspace (airport areas or high traffic volume with good radio reception) or uncontrolled airspace (mountainous terrain, the ocean, and the boonies). You always want to get out nature of distress, intentions, and desired assistance from the controlling agency, if any. The closer you are to crashing, the less info and fewer words will be passed.
Example: Engine failure on takeoff (especially bad because you probably won’t have enough power to climb to an altitude you can come back in for the runway, and there will be trees or buildings past the runway you just took off from): “Tower, Delta 1487. Engine failure, going around for 29.” In this case the pilot is requesting a perpendicular runway (really announcing that they’re going there because they’ve determined it’s the only viable option and there’s no time to hash anything out). The controller will know to order immediate ground stop and cancel all other takeoff and landing clearances for other aircraft, get the crash crews rolling, and clear the way for the emergency aircraft. If Cessna Bob is in the same situation their radio call could be the same (call sign would be something like 3ES, three echo Sierra) OR Cessna Bob could use “plain language” which is also totally appropriate.
If there’s time, adding three maydays at the beginning of your transmission alerts all others on the frequency that you’re experiencing distress and to keep the frequency clear for emergency communication. You’re also supposed to literally say “declaring an emergency.”
If your MC is going for the textbook transmission, the “mayday mayday mayday. This is Tango Papa Three Echo Sierra. I’m experiencing a single engine failure, unable to climb. Declaring an emergency, request vectors for Happy Days Airport without delay.”
Honestly for a two (or more) engine aircraft a single engine failure is no biggie. Single engine would obvi be a larger issue. Planes glide a good distance tho and they like to fly (unlike helicopters) so it’s not as scary as someone might think. Things that WOULD be a huge issue tho are fires (usually shutting down an on fire engine puts out the fire), or a hydraulic issue (only on a big plane tho, since you need hydraulic boots to actually move the flight controls). Landing gear failing to extend is also actually a huge problem that can be very catastrophic but it doesn’t sound as exciting to non aviation people. Also getting stuck in the clouds when you’re not trained / licensed to fly thru them and then getting lost, flying into terrain (basically instant death), or running out of gas and your engines flaming out because you’re trying to get out of low lying clouds is also super bad and a causal factor in many general aviation mishaps but that usually an emergency from poor pilotage rather than a mechanical failure, which is way more exciting for a story.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2025-05-01 08:50 am (UTC)Not sure of the broader context of your MC being a kid but knowing all about plane crashes, but the biggest thing is always just getting the information out there. This will depend on if you’re in controlled airspace (airport areas or high traffic volume with good radio reception) or uncontrolled airspace (mountainous terrain, the ocean, and the boonies). You always want to get out nature of distress, intentions, and desired assistance from the controlling agency, if any. The closer you are to crashing, the less info and fewer words will be passed.
Example:
Engine failure on takeoff (especially bad because you probably won’t have enough power to climb to an altitude you can come back in for the runway, and there will be trees or buildings past the runway you just took off from): “Tower, Delta 1487. Engine failure, going around for 29.” In this case the pilot is requesting a perpendicular runway (really announcing that they’re going there because they’ve determined it’s the only viable option and there’s no time to hash anything out). The controller will know to order immediate ground stop and cancel all other takeoff and landing clearances for other aircraft, get the crash crews rolling, and clear the way for the emergency aircraft. If Cessna Bob is in the same situation their radio call could be the same (call sign would be something like 3ES, three echo Sierra) OR Cessna Bob could use “plain language” which is also totally appropriate.
If there’s time, adding three maydays at the beginning of your transmission alerts all others on the frequency that you’re experiencing distress and to keep the frequency clear for emergency communication. You’re also supposed to literally say “declaring an emergency.”
If your MC is going for the textbook transmission, the “mayday mayday mayday. This is Tango Papa Three Echo Sierra. I’m experiencing a single engine failure, unable to climb. Declaring an emergency, request vectors for Happy Days Airport without delay.”
Honestly for a two (or more) engine aircraft a single engine failure is no biggie. Single engine would obvi be a larger issue. Planes glide a good distance tho and they like to fly (unlike helicopters) so it’s not as scary as someone might think. Things that WOULD be a huge issue tho are fires (usually shutting down an on fire engine puts out the fire), or a hydraulic issue (only on a big plane tho, since you need hydraulic boots to actually move the flight controls). Landing gear failing to extend is also actually a huge problem that can be very catastrophic but it doesn’t sound as exciting to non aviation people. Also getting stuck in the clouds when you’re not trained / licensed to fly thru them and then getting lost, flying into terrain (basically instant death), or running out of gas and your engines flaming out because you’re trying to get out of low lying clouds is also super bad and a causal factor in many general aviation mishaps but that usually an emergency from poor pilotage rather than a mechanical failure, which is way more exciting for a story.