Listening: Hydraulic Failure on Approach to Manchester
Pre-brief
Aircraft: Airbus A320 Callsign: Easy 23 Route: Amsterdam Schiphol (EHAM) to Manchester (EGCC) Current state: You are descending through 8,000 feet on the arrival into Manchester when the green hydraulic system fails. The ECAM shows a loss of normal landing gear extension, normal brakes and nose wheel steering. Your co-pilot is working the ECAM and QRH. You are on Manchester Approach. Souls on board: 156 Endurance: 1 hour 10 minutes remaining Your role: First Officer, working the radio (Pilot Monitoring)
How this works
How this works. You’re playing the pilot. A instructor will introduce the activity in her own voice, then the controller’s first transmission begins. Every radio transmission — controller or pilot — ends with a short roger beep, the cue that the speaker has finished. After each controller transmission, the instructor gives you an instruction — telling you what information to communicate back to the controller (e.g. read back a clearance, declare an emergency, report your status) — and reminds you that you have eight seconds to respond. Your job is to relay that information to the controller using proper ATC phraseology. Speak your reply aloud — recording yourself on a phone voice memo makes review easier. You’ll then hear one model pilot response against light cabin background — that’s one acceptable phrasing, not the only correct one. Take notes while you listen if it helps.
Comprehension questions
Q1. What was the controller’s first descent clearance, before the pilot’s urgency call?
a) 3,000 feet b) flight level 70 c) flight level 100 d) 2,000 feet
Q2. Which runway did the controller assign for the approach?
a) runway 23 left b) runway 05 right c) runway 23 right d) runway 05 left
Q3. Why did the pilot request extended vectors or holding instead of an immediate approach?
a) To burn off fuel before landing
b) To complete the checklists and extend the landing gear by gravity
c) To wait for the weather to improve
d) To allow a faster aircraft to land first
Q4. What did the pilot warn might happen after the aircraft landed?
a) The aircraft might overrun the end of the runway
b) The brakes might catch fire
c) The aircraft might be unable to vacate the runway
d) The engines might have to be shut down on the runway
Q1 — b) flight level 70. The controller’s opening clearance was “descend to flight level seven zero” before the pilot declared the Pan-Pan.
Q2 — c) runway 23 right. The controller offered the ILS for runway two three right and later made the aircraft number one for it.
Q3 — b) To complete the checklists and extend the landing gear by gravity. The pilot was not yet ready for the approach and needed time to work the drills and lower the gear by gravity.
Q4 — c) The aircraft might be unable to vacate the runway. With no nose wheel steering, the crew warned they might not be able to taxi clear after landing.
Full transcript
Controller: Easy 23, Manchester Approach, radar contact. Descend to flight level seven zero, expect vectors for the ILS approach runway two three right.
Instructor cue: Make your urgency call, state the hydraulic problem, and request priority handling for the approach.
Pilot (model response): Pan-Pan, Pan-Pan, Pan-Pan. Manchester Approach, Easy 23. We have a green hydraulic system failure affecting our normal landing gear, brakes and nose wheel steering. Request priority handling for our approach to Manchester. Easy 23.
Why it works: opens with the urgency call spoken three times, names the station and callsign, states the nature of the problem, makes a clear request, and closes with the callsign.
Controller: Easy 23, roger your Pan-Pan. You are number one for runway two three right. Descend to altitude three thousand feet, QNH one zero one five. Report when ready for the approach.
Instructor cue: Read back the descent and the QNH, then tell the controller you are not ready and request extra track miles or holding to finish your checklists and lower the gear.
Pilot (model response): Easy 23, descend to altitude three thousand feet, QNH one zero one five. We are not yet ready for the approach. Request extended vectors or holding to complete our checklists and extend the landing gear by gravity. Easy 23.
Why it works: reads back the altitude and QNH accurately, then negotiates the time the crew needs without abandoning the clearance — a clear, professional request rather than a vague “stand by”.
Controller: Easy 23, roger. Maintain three thousand feet, expect extended vectors. Report persons on board and endurance, and the assistance you require on landing.
Instructor cue: Confirm the persons on board and your endurance, request the fire services to stand by, and advise that you may be unable to leave the runway after landing.
Pilot (model response): Easy 23, 156 persons on board, endurance 1 hour 10 minutes. Request the fire services to stand by. Be advised, we will have no nose wheel steering and may be unable to vacate the runway after landing. Easy 23.
Why it works: gives persons on board and endurance in time (not fuel mass), makes a specific request for fire services, and warns ATC of the post-landing problem so they can plan — all in one structured transmission.
Controller: Easy 23, the fire services are in position. Turn left heading two one zero, descend to altitude two thousand feet, cleared ILS approach runway two three right.
Instructor cue: Read back the new heading, the altitude, and the approach clearance.
Pilot (model response): Left heading two one zero, descend to altitude two thousand feet, cleared ILS approach runway two three right, Easy 23.
Why it works: a complete read-back of the heading, altitude and approach clearance, with the callsign last — no item dropped.
Key vocabulary and phraseology
Term
Definition / note
Pan-Pan (call)
International urgency call, spoken three times. Signals a serious situation that is not yet an immediate danger to life — the correct call for a single system failure, as opposed to Mayday (distress).
priority handling (phrase)
A request for ATC to move the aircraft to the front of the sequence and give it preferential treatment.
extended vectors (noun phrase)
Additional headings flown to gain track miles and time before the approach — here, to finish the drills.
extend the landing gear by gravity (phrase)
Lowering the gear without hydraulic power, letting it fall and lock under its own weight (gravity / free-fall extension).
persons on board / endurance (phrase)
Standard ATC request in an emergency. Endurance is the flying time remaining, reported in hours and minutes — never as fuel mass.
vacate the runway (verb phrase)
To taxi clear of the runway after landing. Without nose wheel steering the crew may be unable to do so.
read-back (noun)
The pilot’s word-for-word repetition of a clearance, confirming it was received correctly.
Variation prompt
How else could you have responded? What would change if the hydraulic failure had also affected your flaps and slats, forcing a faster, flapless approach onto runway two three right?
