DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
NEW YORK AUTOMATED INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT SERVICE STATION
150 ARRIVAL AVENUE
LONG ISLAND MACARTHUR AIRPORT
RONKONKOMA, NEW YORK 11779
SEARCH AND RESCUE (SAR)
General search and rescue is a lifesaving service provided through the combined efforts of the agencies responsible for the SAR Plan.
Prior to departure, someone at the departure should be advised of your destination and route of flight. Search efforts are often wasted and rescue often delayed because of pilots who take off without telling anyone where they are going. File a flight plan for your own safety!
VFR SEARCH & RESCUE PROTECTION
For maximum protection, file only to the point of first intended landing, and then refile for each leg to your final destination. When a lengthy flight plan is filed with several stops enroute, a mishap could occur on any leg. Unless other information is received, it is likely that no one would start looking for you until 30 minutes after your ETA at your final destination.
If you land at a location other than the intended destination, report the landing to the nearest AFSS/FSS and advise them of your original destination.
If you land enroute and are delayed more than 30 minutes, report this information to the nearest AFSS/FSS and give them your original destination.
If your ETA changes by 30 minutes or more, report a revised ETA to the nearest AFSS/FSS and give them your original destination. Remember, if you fail to report within one half hour of your ETA at final destination, a search will be started to locate you.
OVERDUE AIRCRAFT
ARTCC's and AFSS's will alert the SAR system when information is received from any source that an aircraft is in difficulty, overdue, or missing.
A communications search is started at ETA + 30 minutes for a VFR flight plan. At this point, towers and other control facilities at the departure and destination airports are contacted to see if the aircraft has landed or returned. In addition, all the flight plan information is sent to the destination station-which is generally responsible for conducting the SAR.
If the aircraft is not located within one hour after the ETA, the search is expanded to include all FSSs/AFSSs, and air traffic facilities along the route. The Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) at Langley Air Force Base is also notified. Law enforcement and other agencies are solicited to do field searches at the airport.
At ETA + two hours, the search becomes a widespread, all-out effort. All air traffic facilities within 50 miles either side of the route are queried for information, and all airports within 50 miles either side of the route are physically searched. Unscheduled broadcasts are made advertising the search. Pilots are asked to monitor emergency frequency for ELT signals. Resources such as the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), and the military are utilized to conduct enroute searches.
Most searches end with the aircraft being located safely on the ground, the pilot having forgotten to close or update a flight plan. SAR activities are extensive and are a valuable form of (free) insurance, but a considerable amount of time and money is saved when the pilot remembers to close the flight plan.
CLOSING VFR/DVFR FLIGHT PLANS
A pilot is responsible for ensuring that his VFR or DVFR flight plan is cancelled (AIM 5-1-12). You should close your flight plan with the nearest AFSS/FSS. However, it is best to contact a flight service station by radio or on the ground by calling 1-800-WX-BRIEF. Some helpful frequencies for closing your flight plan are located in the section on Inflight services. Control towers do not automatically close VFR or DVFR flight plans since they do not know if a particular VFR aircraft is on a flight plan. If you fail to report or cancel within 30 minutes after your ETA, search and rescue procedures are started.