Lost Comms & Emergency Authority (91.185 / 91.3)
Key rules, memory aids, and squawk codes for handling radio failure and emergencies under IFR.
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Study Smart Tips for Lost Comms & Emergency Authority (91.185 / 91.3)
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Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
Which regulation governs IFR operations after two-way radio communications failure?
14 CFR 91.185
What does 91.3(b) give the pilot in command?
Emergency authority to deviate from any rule of Part 91 to the extent required to meet the emergency.
91.185(b): what do you do if you're in VMC (or encounter VMC) when comms fail?
Continue the flight under VFR and land as soon as practicable — get out of the system.
What does the route acronym AVE F stand for?
Assigned, Vectored (direct to the fix/route/airway you were vectored to), Expected, Filed.
What three altitudes do you compare under 91.185(c)(2), and which do you fly?
MEA (minimum IFR altitude for the segment), Expected, and last Assigned — fly the HIGHEST for each segment.
When does the 'expected' altitude enter the comparison?
Only when you reach the time or place at which it was to take effect.
If you climb to 10,000 and later reach a segment with a 5,000 MEA, what do you do?
Stay at 10,000 — you fly the highest of the three, you don't descend to the lower MEA.
Clearance limit IS a fix from which an approach begins — when do you begin descent/approach?
As close as possible to the EFC time; if no EFC was given, at your ETA from the filed or amended flight plan.
Which transponder codes signal comm failure and emergency?
7600 for lost communications; 7700 for emergency.
Name items in the troubleshooting flow before declaring lost comms.
Volume, squelch, frequency, audio panel, comm swap, headset plug, handheld radio, cell phone — plus try previous frequency, 121.5, or FSS.
