Emergency

An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action.

In the aerospace context, emergency refers to an unexpected and potentially dangerous situation that requires immediate action to prevent or mitigate harm to people, equipment, or the environment. Emergency procedures are established and practiced by aerospace organizations to ensure that the crew and passengers are safe and the aircraft can land safely in case of such situations.

Examples of emergency situations in the aerospace context include:

• Mechanical failure: An example could be an engine failure on an aircraft that requires the pilots to shut down the affected engine and land the aircraft safely using the remaining engines.
• Weather-related emergencies: An example could be a severe thunderstorm or a Hurricane that affects the flight path of an aircraft and requires the pilots to change course or divert to a different airport.
• Medical emergencies: An example could be a passenger experiencing a heart attack or other medical problem that requires immediate attention from the flight attendants or medical personnel.
• Security emergencies: An example could be an act of terrorism or an attempt to hijack an aircraft, requiring the crew to initiate emergency protocols and work with ground security personnel to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew.

Emergency procedures are established, trained and rehearsed to ensure the safety and well-being of the passengers and crew, as well as the safe operation of the aircraft. Emergency procedures are also regularly reviewed and updated based on lessons learned from incidents and accidents, and the latest technology developments.