Distress and urgency
MAYDAY distress message
Get immediate help when the aircraft is threatened by grave and/or imminent danger.
When you use it
Engine failure, fire, serious structural or control problems. Use the frequency in use first; 121.5 MHz if needed.
Example exchange
This is an illustrative example. The required elements matter more than the exact words — ICAO phraseology allows variation, and local procedures can differ.
Required information
- MAYDAY (preferably ×3)
- Station addressed
- Aircraft identification
- Nature of the distress condition
- Intention of the person in command
- Present position
- Level
- Heading
- Any other useful information (e.g. persons on board)
Expected sequence
- MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
- Station
- Call sign
- Nature
- Intention
- Position
- Level
- Heading
- Extra information
Read back
- Any instructions given (e.g. squawk)
Why it works this way
Aviate first. Doc 9432 §9.2.1.1 asks for the items “as far as possible” and in this order; if time is short, call sign, nature and position matter most. Squawking 7700 helps attract attention (§9.2.1.2). An aircraft no longer in distress must transmit a cancellation (e.g. “cancel MAYDAY”) (§9.2.3.1).
Common errors
- Saying MAYDAY only once
- Forgetting the intention
- Spending time on wording instead of flying the aircraft
References
- ICAO Doc 9432, Manual of Radiotelephony (4th ed., 2007), §9.2.1 — Aircraft in distress
- ICAO Doc 9432, Manual of Radiotelephony (4th ed., 2007), §9.2.3 — Termination of distress and silence
Practise it: MAYDAY: engine failure
Run the related simulator scenario and get item-by-item feedback on your transmissions.
Open the scenario