The pilot of the plane carrying President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) from a trip to Mexico, this Tuesday (1), declared urgency shortly after takeoff.
This is what the audio from the aircraft’s communication system with the control tower at Felipe Ángeles Airport, in Mexico City, reveals.
In the recording, in English, the pilot calls the control center and identifies the plane using codes. “Bravo, Romeo, Sierra zero one”, he says. This is the meaning of BRS01.
Soon after, he asks to make a right turn and declares: “Pan-pan, pan-pan, pan-pan”.
The expression is listed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), also known by its English acronym ICAO, as an onboard emergency signal. It comes from the French “panne”, which indicates a situation less serious than danger, in which the word “mayday” is used.
The term “Pan-pan” is used to request priority in the control tower for a problem that can range from a passenger needing medical attention to the failure of non-vital equipment.
Before landing, the pilot contacts the tower again and asks for firefighters to be placed on site in case of any emergency during landing.
The suspicion is that a bird hit the plane’s turbine and caused the technical problem.
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) reported that the issue was resolved without danger to passengers, but the plane needed to fly over the Mexican capital for around five hours to burn fuel and make a safe landing.
The plane landed at 10:16 pm, Brasília time. President Lula and his entourage boarded a reserve aircraft and arrived in the federal capital this Wednesday morning (2).
See the audio transcript of the conversation between the pilot and the control tower:
(FAB pilot): Bravo Control, Romeo, Sierra, zero one. I ask to turn right. Pan-pan, pan-pan, pan-pan. Bravo, Romeo, Sierra, zero one.
(Control): Bravo, Romeo, Sierra, zero one. Pan-pan, pan?
(FAB pilot): Pan-pan, pan-pan, pan-pan. Bravo, Romeo, Sierra, zero one. Turn right immediately. Bravo, Romeo, Sierra, zero one.
(Control): Bravo, Romeo, Sierra, zero one. Speak your order.
(FAB pilot): Request to fly to VOR, VOR. Bravo, Romeo, Sierra, zero one.
(Control): Okay, Bravo, Romeo, Sierra, zero one. Proceed directly to Sierra Lima Mike.
(FAB pilot): Continue to Sierra Lima Mike. Bravo, Romeo, Sierra, zero one. (inaudible)
(Control): Did you ask permission to land again at the airport?
(FAB pilot): Unable to land now. Request to maintain VOR Sierra Lima Mike, maintain 13 feet. Bravo, Romeo, Sierra, zero one.
(Control): Ok, keep 13 thousand on Sierra Lima Mike VOR.
