Emergency and Abnormal Situations Project
Air Traffic Controllers Handbook
10-1-3. PROVIDING ASSISTANCE
Provide maximum assistance to aircraft in distress. Enlist the
services of available radar facilities and DF facilities operated by
the FAA, the military services, and the Federal Communications
Commission, as well as their emergency services and facilities,
when the pilot requests or when you deem necessary.
10-1-4. RESPONSIBILITY
a. If you are in communication with an aircraft in distress, handle
the emergency and coordinate and direct the activities of
assisting facilities. Transfer this responsibility to another facility
only when you feel better handling of the emergency will result.
Declaring An Emergency – Fact and Fiction