Definition
A loss of two-way radio communication between an aircraft and an Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), where the controller's transmitter, receiver, or assigned frequency becomes unusable. When this occurs, ARTCC controllers follow established procedures to re-establish contact, including requesting the pilot try another assigned frequency, contact a nearby Flight Service Station, or use a different navigation facility's voice capability to relay communications.
Plain English
The radio link between a high-altitude air traffic control center and an aircraft has stopped working on the frequency being used. Controllers and pilots then try other ways to talk to each other, such as switching to a different frequency or routing the message through another station.
Context Anchor
Encountered during instrument flight when communicating with Center, especially if a frequency suddenly becomes unusable or ATC assigns a backup frequency.
Derivation
ARTCC stands for Air Route Traffic Control Center, the facility that handles enroute IFR traffic between terminal areas. 'Outage' comes from 'out,' meaning a period when something is not working. Together, the phrase describes a stretch of time when the ARTCC frequency is unavailable.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must immediately switch to a published backup frequency or guard to maintain separation, receive clearances, and avoid airspace violations.
Grounding Statement
The key point is that the communication problem is with the Center frequency being unavailable, so the pilot needs an alternate way to reach ATC.
Intuition Check
Do not assume an ARTCC radio frequency outage means the aircraft radio has failed. It means the Center frequency itself is not usable or not in service.
Example Sentence 1
After several unanswered calls, the crew suspected an ARTCC radio frequency outage and tried the previous sector's frequency to re-establish contact.
Example Sentence 2
The crew monitored guard frequency after learning of the ARTCC radio frequency outage in that sector.