Originally Posted by
Boggie Dog
Can one of the pilot types refresh my old memory.
As I recall in a loss of communications event a flight will continue on its filed flight plan to destination. However would they not have to receive a light signal from tower before entering the landing pattern.
Also if the cockpit crew simply switch to the wrong channel would not ATC tried to contact the aircraft on guard in an attempt to restore comms?
Something about this story bothers me.
It's exceedingly rare to have a complete loss of comms on a modern commercial aircraft. It's going to have at least 2 independent comm radios.
In the rare case of loss of comms, one can signal that loss to ATC by going to a special transponder code at which point one is to continue to one's destination via a somewhat complicated set of criteria.
In the event of lost comms, ATC will usually attempt to contact the aircraft in question on the assigned frequency, the last assigned frequency or guard. There are a whole plethora of other frequencies they could try as well (company, UNICOM, MULTICOM, ARINC, air-to-air, etc).
Things get a little weird in DC, though. Air carriers may have different procedures they are to follow in the event of lost comms in the DC area.