Emergency calls: MAYDAY and PAN-PAN

This is the one call you hope never to make, which is exactly why it has to be rehearsed. Practise it somewhere it does not matter, out loud, until the order comes without thinking. The most common failure is not the wrong words. It is waiting too long to say any.

Which one

Two prefixes, each said three times, and the choice between them is about how much danger you are in right now.

MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY: Grave and imminent danger needing immediate help — e.g. engine failure, fire.
PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN: A serious situation but no immediate danger — e.g. a rough-running engine, getting lost, a sick passenger.

If you are weighing up which one, that is usually a sign to make the call. Downgrading later is easy; nobody has ever been criticised for asking for help early.

What goes in the message

In this order. The controller is writing, and the early items are the ones that start help moving.

Station addressed
Your callsign
Aircraft type
Nature of the emergency
Your intentions
Position, level/altitude and heading
Persons on board (POB)
Any other useful information (e.g. your qualifications)

Persons on board matters more than it looks. It is the number that decides what is sent to meet you.

Who to say it to

The international aeronautical emergency frequency is 121.5 MHz (civil); military aircraft also guard 243.0 MHz (UHF). Address a MAYDAY or PAN to the unit you're already working, or to 121.5 MHz if you need to.

Staying with the unit you are already working is usually faster: they know your callsign, they know roughly where you are, and they can see you if you are being watched.

Why it gets you the frequency

Message priority is a defined order. A distress call outranks everything else on the air, and everyone else is expected to stop.

Distress messages (MAYDAY)
Urgency messages (PAN-PAN), including medical transports
Direction-finding messages
Flight safety messages
Meteorological messages
Flight regularity messages

Cancelling it

When it's resolved, cancel it: “<callsign>, cancel PAN-PAN / MAYDAY …” so ATC can release any priority handling.

“G-ABCD, cancel PAN-PAN, engine running normally, request to continue to Norwich”

A forced landing

An engine failure leading to a forced landing is a distress situation — declare a MAYDAY. But fly the aircraft first: best glide speed and choose a field, THEN make the call. Don't get drawn into a long conversation.

MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY
Station addressed — the one you're working, or “any station” / 121.500 if not in contact with anyone
Your callsign and aircraft type
Nature: “engine failure, carrying out a forced landing”
Your intentions and the field/area you're aiming for
Position, heading and altitude
Persons on board
Squawk 7700

Priority order: Aviate → Navigate → Communicate. The radio call comes AFTER flying the aircraft and picking your field. Don't expect a reply — pass what you can.

When the radio is the problem

If the radio fails, keep flying the aircraft and squawk 7600 (or 7700 if it's part of a wider emergency). What you do next depends on which part has failed.

Receiver failed (you can still transmit): Transmit your messages “blind”, prefixed “transmitting blind”, at the points you'd normally report, stating your intentions.
Transmitter failed (you can still receive): Listen out and comply with instructions; acknowledge by an agreed means — press IDENT, or by day rock your wings and by night flash your lights.
Complete failure: Squawk 7600, follow your last clearance or the expected procedure, and look out for light signals from the tower.

MAYDAY RELAY: if you hear a distress call the controlling station hasn't acknowledged, or you need to pass one on behalf of an aircraft that can't, transmit “MAYDAY RELAY” (×3) and relay the distress message you heard.

Unsure of your position? Don't leave it too late — ask for help early: request a position fix or a QDM, or call for a Basic/Traffic Service. If you become genuinely lost or short of options it becomes an urgency (PAN-PAN), or a distress (MAYDAY) if you're in real difficulty.

Practise this at your airfield

Reading it is the easy half. Pick your own airfield, with its real frequencies and today’s weather, and say these calls out loud until they stop being something you remember and start being something you do.

Find your airfield →

Written from the same vetted study data the app uses, and checked against it on 11 September 2026. TowerTalk is a training aid: your instructor and your examiner are the authority on whether you are ready.