Chapter 8. Search and Rescue (SAR) Procedures for VFR Aircraft
Section 1. General
8-1-1. RESPONSIBILITY FOR
SAR ACTION
a. The departure
station is responsible for SAR action until receipt of the destination station's
acknowledgment for the flight notification message. This responsibility is then
transferred to the destination station.
b. The National SAR
Plan assigns search and rescue responsibilities as follows:
1. To the military
agencies for conducting physical search and rescue operations.
2. To the FAA for:
(a) Providing
emergency service to aircraft in distress.
(b) Assuring that
SAR procedures will be initiated if an aircraft becomes overdue or unreported.
This is accomplished through the ATC system for IFR aircraft and the flight plan
program and/or reports of overdue aircraft received at air traffic facilities
for VFR aircraft.
(c) Attempting to
locate overdue or unreported aircraft by INREQ and ALNOT communications search.
(d) Cooperating in
the physical search by making all possible facilities available for use of the
searching agencies.
c. Flight service
stations serve as the central point for collecting and disseminating information
on overdue or missing aircraft which are not on an IFR flight plan.
d. ARTCCs serve as
the central points for collecting information, coordinating with SAR, and
conducting a communications search by distributing any necessary ALNOTs
concerning:
1. Overdue or
missing IFR aircraft.
2. Aircraft in an
emergency situation occurring in their respective areas.
3. Aircraft on a
combined VFR/IFR or an airfiled IFR flight plan, and 30 minutes have passed
since the pilot requested IFR clearance, and neither communications nor radar
contact can be established.
4. Overdue or
missing aircraft which have been authorized to operate in accordance with a SVFR
clearance.
e. The ARTCC serves
as the contact point for collecting information and coordinating with the RCC on
all ELT signals.
8-1-2. OVERDUE AIRCRAFT
ON FLIGHT PLAN
Consider an aircraft on a
VFR or DVFR flight plan overdue when it fails to arrive 30 minutes after its ETA
and communications or location cannot be established.
8-1-3. OVERDUE AIRCRAFT
NOT ON FLIGHT PLAN
Consider an aircraft not
on a flight plan as overdue at the actual time a reliable source reports it to
be at least 1 hour late at destination. Based on this overdue time, apply the
same procedures and action times as for aircraft on a flight plan. When such a
report is received, verify (if possible) that the aircraft actually departed and
that the request is for a missing aircraft rather than a person. Refer missing
person reports to the appropriate authorities.
REFERENCE-
FAAO JO 7110.10, Para 8-2-1, Initial Action/QALQ; Para 8-3-1, INREQ; Para 8-4-1,
ALNOT.
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