AIM ¶ 6-3-4 — Special Emergency Air Piracy
AIM 6-3-4 explains hijack reporting: transponder code 7500, radio procedures, and pilot actions. Study guide for pilot students prepping checkrides and orals.
In Plain English
A special emergency is air piracy or any hostile act aboard an aircraft that threatens the safety of the aircraft or its occupants. AIM 6-3-4 describes how a pilot should communicate the situation to ATC.
If possible, use normal distress or urgency radio procedures (see AIM 6-3-1) and include details. If that's not possible, transmit on the current air/ground frequency, providing as much of the following as you can:
- Station being addressed
- Aircraft identification and present position
- Nature of the emergency and pilot intentions
If you can't communicate by voice, use transponder Code 7500 (Mode 3/A), which means "I am being hijacked." ATC will never assign 7500 without prior pilot notification, and the code triggers a special emergency indicator in all radar facilities. Controllers will ask you to verify the code — if you confirm or don't reply, they'll stop asking, flight follow, and notify authorities.
If safe to do so, a hijacked aircraft should:
- Maintain true airspeed ≤ 400 knots, preferably between 10,000 and 25,000 feet
- Fly toward the destination the hijacker announced
- Comply with instructions from ATC or intercepting aircraft
This guidance is recommended procedure, not a regulation, but it's critical knowledge for any pilot.
AIM Source Text
FAA AIM ¶ 6-3-46-3-4. 6-3-4. Special Emergency (Air Piracy)
A special emergency is a condition of air piracy, or other hostile act by a person(s) aboard an aircraft, which threatens the safety of the aircraft or its passengers. The pilot of an aircraft reporting a special emergency condition should: If circumstances permit, apply distress or urgency radio-telephony procedures. Include the details of the special emergency. REFERENCE- AIM, Para 6-3-1 , Distress and Urgency Communications. If circumstances do not permit the use of prescribed distress or urgency procedures, transmit: On the air/ground frequency in use at the time. As many as possible of the following elements spoken distinctly and in the following order: Name of the station addressed (time and circumstances permitting). The identification of the aircraft and present position. The nature of the special emergency condition and pilot intentions (circumstances permitting). If unable to provide this information, use code words and/or transponder as follows: Spoken Words TRANSPONDER SEVEN FIVE ZERO ZERO Meaning I am being hijacked/forced to a new destination Transponder Setting Mode 3/A, Code 7500 NOTE- Code 7500 will never be assigned by ATC without prior notification from the pilot that the aircraft is being subjected to unlawful interference. The pilot should refuse the assignment of Code 7500 in any other situation and inform the controller accordingly. Code 7500 will trigger the special emergency indicator in all radar ATC facilities. Air traffic controllers will acknowledge and confirm receipt of transponder Code 7500 by asking the pilot to verify it. If the aircraft is not being subjected to unlawful interference, the pilot should respond to the query by broadcasting in the clear that the aircraft is not being subjected to unlawful interference. Upon receipt of this information, the controller will request the pilot to verify the code selection depicted in the code selector windows in the transponder control panel and change the code to the appropriate setting. If the pilot replies in the affirmative or does not reply, the controller will not ask further questions but will flight follow, respond to pilot requests and notify appropriate authorities. If it is possible to do so without jeopardizing the safety of the flight, the pilot of a hijacked passenger aircraft, after departing from the cleared routing over which the aircraft was operating, will attempt to do one or more of the following things, insofar as circumstances may permit: Maintain a true airspeed of no more than 400 knots, and preferably an altitude of between 10,000 and 25,000 feet. Fly a course toward the destination which the hijacker has announced. If these procedures result in either radio contact or air intercept, the pilot will attempt to comply with any instructions received which may direct the aircraft to an appropriate landing field or alter the aircraft's flight path off its current course, away from protected airspace.
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What transponder code indicates unlawful interference, and how will ATC respond?
Per AIM 6-3-4, squawking Mode 3/A Code 7500 means 'I am being hijacked/forced to a new destination.' It triggers the special emergency indicator at all radar ATC facilities, and the controller will ask the pilot to verify the code. If the pilot confirms or doesn't reply, the controller will stop asking, flight follow, respond to requests, and notify authorities.
Q2If you can't use standard distress procedures during a hijacking, what information should you try to transmit?
Per AIM 6-3-4, transmit on the current air/ground frequency, in this order as circumstances permit: the station being addressed, aircraft identification and present position, and the nature of the special emergency along with pilot intentions. If unable to provide this, use code words and/or squawk 7500.
Q3What airspeed and altitude should a hijacked aircraft try to maintain after departing its cleared route?
Per AIM 6-3-4, if it can be done safely, the pilot should maintain a true airspeed of no more than 400 knots, preferably an altitude between 10,000 and 25,000 feet, and fly toward the hijacker's announced destination, while complying with any instructions received via radio or air intercept.
Related Paragraphs in AIM Chapter 6