Definition
A condition during IFR flight in which the pilot can no longer transmit or receive on the assigned ATC radio frequency, or both. Federal Aviation Regulations specify the route, altitude, and timing the pilot must follow when this occurs, so that ATC can predict the aircraft's path and protect airspace around it until landing.
Plain English
Your radio has stopped working and you can't talk to air traffic control. The rules tell you exactly what route and altitude to fly so controllers can keep other aircraft clear of you until you land.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument approach discussions when radio contact with air traffic control is lost before, during, or after an approach.
Derivation
Communication comes from a Latin word meaning “to share” or “make common.” Failure means something has stopped working as needed. Together, the phrase points to a breakdown in the shared flow of information between the aircraft and the controller.
Why Pilots Care
It activates emergency procedures to maintain aircraft separation and complete the flight safely without further instructions.
Grounding Statement
The key point is predictability: when radio talking stops, the pilot flies the plan that the rules and clearance make most expected.
Intuition Check
Do not assume communications failure always means the radio itself is broken. In aviation, it means the required two-way radio communication is not happening, whatever the cause.
Example Sentence 1
After losing both radios in IMC, the pilot followed the communications failure procedures and continued the flight along the last assigned route to the destination.
Example Sentence 2
In the event of a communications failure, the pilot continued to the destination airport using the last assigned route and altitude.