Chapter 10. Search & Rescue (SAR)

General

Air traffic services authorities must receive position information on all aircraft within their jurisdiction at least once per hour. If these hourly reports are not received, SAR procedures are initiated.

Pilots should request advisories or assistance at the earliest indication that something may be wrong. Most search and rescue facilities and international air carriers monitor VHF 121.5 continuously. SAR aircraft are generally equipped with homing devices sensitive to VHF 121.5 Mhz. If you are unable to reach any facility, you may attempt contact with other aircraft on 131.8 MHz or 121.5 MHz. Most international carriers are also able to receive Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELTs) in the event manual activation of your ELT is possible. The ELT should be activated and left on continuously. The 406 MHz beacon provides a more accurate position and also identification data, both of which improve SAR response efficiency.

COSPAS-SARSAT, a satellite-based system, can provide a distress alert and means of position determination based on an ELT signal. The 406 MHz ELT is designed specifically with this satellite system in mind. On 121.5 and 243.0 MHz, the satellite system is designed to locate continuous transmissions from beacons. However it will also localize voice transmissions on these frequencies if the transmission lasts from some 4 to 6 minutes and a satellite is in the line of sight of the transmitter. Satellite orbitology is usually available to RCCs so the most effective use of VHF voice transmissions for satellite detection is usually on instruction from an RCC as to when to transmit. However, in extremes, transmit blind and you may be lucky. The position drawn from the satellite may be as much as 20km (12nm) in error and 30 minutes old, but any position is better than none at all. It is a good possibility that Direction Finding (DF) stations will not exist along the major portion of your route of flight.

At many locations throughout the North Atlantic neither search and rescue personnel nor equipment is available on a 24 hour basis. Rescue/recovery from the ocean will likely be by a Maritime craft in the vicinity. The primary SAR asset often will be civilian aircraft chartered from private companies at great expense. These aircraft and their crews are frequently exposed to dangers which could have been avoided simply by better preparation on the part of IGA pilots. The general reasons for the alerts, the searches, and the fatalities, are most often poor planning, poor navigation, insufficient fuel, and the lack of knowledge of flying in the NAT Region.

It is important to note that some States may hold an individual accountable for the costs of SAR actions should a pilot be found to be in breach of current regulations.

Should worse come to worse and you have to put down in the North Atlantic, do you fully appreciate the predicament that you would be in? All your pre-flight planning, your inspection at Moncton, all the equipment you carry, is of little use if you cannot survive long enough to allow SAR forces to recover you reasonably intact. If you remember nothing else, remember the first two principles of survival--PROTECTION and LOCATION. In the NAT Region at anytime of year, the weather is your enemy, so wear your protective garments at all times. It is much too late to be climbing into clothing while presiding over an engine that is refusing to cooperate and at the same time trying to contact a friendly 747 to explain that you have a problem.

With excellent satellite coverage of the region, LOCATION is no problem if your ELT works. But who is going to recover you? In general terms, helicopters operate out to a maximum of 300nm from base without air to air refueling and the latter is a very scarce enhancement. Long range SAR aircraft could localize your ELT, but their time on task in the area, on low level visual search, should that be necessary, is only in the order of 2 to 3 hours. It is fairly obvious that a 24 hour search would take 8 aircraft and a visual search for a single seat life raft, even with a comparatively good datum, is a needle-in-a-haystack problem. So guard your ELT with your life; It could be your only salvation. Oceanic Air Traffic Control Centers will contact rescue coordination centers to find out what assistance can be provided by other craft in the area. This would often include ships or boats. Of particular help are merchant vessels contacted by means of the ship reporting system called AMVER. The section on aircraft ditching provides more insights.

Hypothermia

Causes

Hypothermia is a sickness that can develop quickly and kill you. Sometimes referred to as exposure sickness, it is a condition of the body when its inner-core temperature falls to a level at which the vital organs no longer function effectively.

Hypothermia is caused by cold, wetness, and/or wind chilling the body so that it loses heat faster than it can produce it. Frequently the advent of hypothermia is hastened by a deficiency of energy producing food in the body. However, the greatest single contributing factor to hypothermia is improper clothing.

Hypothermia can occur anywhere that the environmental temperature is low enough to reduce the body temperature to a dangerous level. It occurs most frequently in rugged mountain terrain where a person on foot can pass from a calm and sunny valley to a wind and rain-lashed mountain ridge in a few hours. Most hypothermia accidents occur in outdoor temperatures between 1° and 10° C (30° to 50°F).

Symptoms

Fortunately the approach of hypothermia is easily noticeable and its advance marked by recognizable steps or stages. If the warning signs are heeded and counter-measures taken, tragedy can be avoided.

Noticeable symptoms normally occur in the following stages:

1. A person feels cold and has to exercise to warm up.

2. He starts to shiver and feel numb.

3. Shivering becomes more intense and uncontrollable.

4. Shivering becomes violent. There is a difficulty in speaking. Thinking becomes sluggish and the mind begins to wander.

5. Shivering decreases and muscles begin to stiffen. Coordination becomes difficult and movements are erratic and jerky. Exposed skin may become blue or puffy. Thinking becomes fuzzy. Appreciation of the seriousness of the situation is vague or nonexistent. However, the victim may still be able to maintain the appearance of knowing where he is and what is going on.

6. The victim becomes irrational, loses contact with the environment, and drifts into a stupor.

7. Victim does not respond to the spoken word. Falls into unconsciousness. Most reflexes cease to function and breathing becomes erratic.

8. Heart and lung centers of the brain stop functioning. The individual is now a fatality.

Treatment

A person who is alert and aware of the potential dangers can help himself in stages 1 through 3. But once the condition has advanced to stage 4 and the person's mind begins to wander, he may not realize what is happening and may well need assistance. Further deterioration will definitely require outside aid. Anyone showing any of the above-mentioned symptoms, including the inability to get up after a rest, is in trouble and needs your help. He may not realize and deny there is a problem. Believe the symptoms, not the victim. Even mild symptoms demand immediate and positive treatment.

1. Get the victim out of the cold, wind, and rain.

2. Strip off all wet clothes.

3. If the person is only mildly impaired;

(a) give him warm, non-alcoholic, drinks.

(b) get him into dry clothes and a warm sleeping bag;

4. If the victim is semi-conscious or worse;

(a) try to keep him awake and give him warm drinks.

(b) leave him stripped: put him in a sleeping bag with another person (also stripped); skin to skin contact is the most effective treatment.

5. If he has recovered sufficiently to eat, feed him. Make sure he is dressed in warm clothing and well rested before starting on again.

6. If the victim has to be carried out, make sure his body temperature has been brought up to normal and wrap him in a good sleeping bag before starting out.

Prevention

With the exception of cases involving bodily injury, most hypothermia accidents may be prevented. The first thing to remember is that hypothermia can occur anywhere and at any time that the air temperature drops low enough so that if a body is exposed, its inner-core temperature can be reduced to the danger level.

Remember, wind chills the air.

Wet clothing in cold weather extracts heat from the body nearly 200 times faster than dry clothing. Wool clothing provides better protection than cotton in wet weather. In inclement weather, an uncovered head can account for up to 60% of body heat loss. A good wool cap is essential. The most common contributors of the development of problems during cold, wet, and windy weather are lack of proper clothing, inadequate shelter, and exhaustion. The best defense against the advent of hypothermia is to avoid exposure by being prepared .

1. Dress appropriately.

2. Carry rainwear, extra dry clothes, food, and matches.

3. Bring potential dangers to the attention of anyone inappropriately dressed. It could save his life.

4. Make the basic rules of conduct for trail safety clear, and that you expect them to be observed.

5. Travel at the speed of the slowest member of your party.

6. Break frequently for rest and gear check.

7. Distribute candies or other nibble food.

8. Keep watching all members of your party for signs of fatigue or discomfort.

NAO Home