Distress and Urgency Signals — ICAO Annex 2 Appendix 1

General (ICAO)

ICAO Annex 2 Appendix 1 defines international standard signals for distress and urgency.

MAYDAY — distress

The word "MAYDAY" transmitted via radio is an emergency signal:

From French m'aider ("help me").
Spoken three times: "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY".
Highest priority — all other radio transmissions stop.

PAN-PAN — urgency

The voice signal "PANPAN", transmitted via radio, means that another aircraft is in a difficult situation:

From French panne ("breakdown").
Three times: "PAN-PAN PAN-PAN PAN-PAN".
Lower priority than MAYDAY, higher than routine traffic.

Visual distress signals

In case of an emergency, in order to be noticed, the pilot may use every available means.

Repeated light switching — urgency

Repeated switching on and off of the landing light or position lights is an urgency signal. It means that an aircraft is in a difficult situation forcing it to land; however, immediate help is not required.

Wings rocking as confirmation

A pilot can confirm a search and rescue signal from the ground in flight by rocking the wings:

Day: wings rocking.
Night: landing-light three flashes.

Europe (EASA / EU)

EU regulations adopt these ICAO signals directly.

Germany (national)

LuftVO and LuftBO adopt ICAO signals directly.