If you believe an aircraft is missing or overdue, contact local emergency services or the relevant aviation authority promptly. Give what you know about the aircraft, its planned flight, its last known position and communication, and the people aboard. Do not delay a credible report to fill in unknown details; say what is uncertain and how you learned each fact.
What information should you give authorities?
Use the checklist below as a guide. Share only details you know or can identify as estimates; authorities can obtain operational information you may not have.
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- Aircraft identity and description: registration number or call sign, type or model, color, distinctive markings, and other identifying features.
- Planned flight: departure point and time, destination, route, planned arrival time, and whether you know a flight plan was filed. Provide a copy or identifying details of the plan if available.
- Last known contact or sighting: date and time, location or position, who made or received the last communication, the frequency or method used if known, and how the position was established. Include the last radio transmission or reported position if available.
- People aboard: the known or estimated number of occupants and any relevant information about their needs.
- Fuel and distress information: fuel status if known, any reported emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal, unusual flight behavior, weather encountered, and other credible reports.
- Your contact details and basis of knowledge: your name and a callback method; whether you saw or heard something yourself; and when, from whom, and by what means you learned any second-hand information.
Mark estimates as estimates, and keep firsthand observations separate from information relayed by someone else. If you do not know a detail, say so rather than guessing.
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Who should you contact?
This guidance describes U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) procedures. Reporting channels and agency responsibilities differ in other countries. In the United States, contact local emergency services or the relevant aviation authority promptly. The FAA materials do not identify one public intake number that applies to every location.
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Within the FAA system, Flight Service Stations (FSS) collect and disseminate information about overdue or missing aircraft that are not on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. FAA guidance says non-FSS air traffic facilities receiving inquiries about those flights refer callers to the appropriate FSS. Air traffic facilities alert rescue coordination centers in cases covered by FAA procedures and pass on available information, which can include the flight plan, last transmission and position, occupants, fuel status, ELT reports, and other pertinent facts. A member of the public may not know operational details such as a beacon code or controller frequency; report what you have and let authorities obtain the rest. FAA, Chapter 10: Emergencies
Should you wait before reporting an overdue aircraft?
No. Do not treat an FAA facility’s one-hour procedure as advice for the public to wait. FAA Flight Service guidance says that, for an aircraft without a flight plan, a reliable report that it is at least one hour late at its destination triggers overdue procedures. It also directs facilities to act immediately when there is reason to believe the aircraft is overdue earlier. That is a facility procedure, not a waiting period for someone with a credible concern. FAA, Chapter 3: Emergency Services
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A filed flight plan provides useful route and timing information. The FAA Aeronautical Information Manual says, “A filed flight plan is the most timely and effective indicator that an aircraft is overdue.” A flight plan is not a prerequisite for reporting a concern. FAA, Chapter 6: Emergency Procedures
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- Start with the concern: say that you believe an aircraft is missing or overdue, and give its identity if known.
- Give the timeline: state when it departed, when it was expected, and the time and place of the last known contact or sighting.
- Explain your source: identify which details you observed personally and which came from another person, including when you received them.
- Share relevant clues: pass along reported ELT signals, known fuel status, unusual behavior, weather, or other credible information.
- Leave a callback route: provide your name and a reliable way to reach you in case authorities need clarification.
If information changes or you learn a new relevant fact, pass it on through the channel handling the report. Avoid presenting an unconfirmed position, occupant count, or timeline as certain.
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