NEED TO KNOW
- A Ryanair flight reportedly issued an international distress code on its approach to a London airport
- According to multiple outlets, flight FR642 issued a squawk 7600 as it circled outside London Stansted Airport on Sept. 22
- The code signals when an aircraft loses radio communication capabilities
A passenger aircraft approaching a London airport reportedly lost communication with air traffic control due to a radio system failure.
On Sept. 22, Ryanair flight FR642 departed Valencia Airport in Spain at 11:12 a.m. local time, according to FlightAware. The Boeing 737 was heading toward London Stansted Airport located in the U.K. During its final approach, the plane began to circle the skies less than 20 miles away from the runway.
According to outlets Airlive and Travel and Tour World, crews on board issued an emergency squawk code 7600. The U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority’s Rules of the Air manual states pilots shall use the signal “to indicate a state of radio-communication failure.”
“In the event that the radio on the aircraft fails to function properly, communication can get cut off. This can lead to grave safety risks,” according to the California Aeronautical University. “Because the aircraft cannot let the ATC (air traffic control) know verbally, they can immediately change the code in their transponder to Squawk 7600.”
They added: “This alerts ATC and, as the aircraft continues to travel as they should to their airport, ATC can make the necessary adjustments with those they can communicate with to ensure everyone in the sky is safe as the mute aircraft lands.”
FlightAware data shows this aircraft kept steady at 9,000 feet for around 16 minutes while circling three times before making a wide turn to arrive at Stansted Airport.
While it is unclear what procedures were used to get the plane on the ground, the aircraft landed at 12:40 p.m. local time. According to AirLive, the plane was led by a “follow me” car to the gate after landing.
A representative for London Stansted Airport deferred to Ryanair for comment, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request.
Earlier this year, an outage at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey left air controllers unable to communicate with planes for roughly 60 to 90 seconds, according to ABC News.
On Monday, April 28, air traffic control computer screens went dark, according to the outlet which cited multiple sources. In obtained recordings, a controller is heard telling pilots that “approach lost all radars. Three of the four radar screens went black and they have no frequency.”
CBS News reported the incident delayed arrivals by 30 minutes and departures by two hours, citing the FAA.
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In a statement shared with PEOPLE at the time, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said, “Air traffic controllers in Area C of the Philadelphia TRACON (PHL), who are responsible for separating and sequencing aircraft in and out of Newark Airport (EWR), temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them.”
The FAA wrote on X: “We are working to ensure the current telecommunications equipment is more reliable in the New York area by establishing a more resilient and redundant configuration with the local exchange carriers. In addition, we are updating our automation system to improve resiliency.”
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