What action is recommended when radar coverage is degraded or unavailable?

• A. Implement contingency procedures, rely on other sensors and forecasts, inform ATC and adjust procedures to maintain safety.
• B. Continue as normal and ignore outages.
• C. Delay all flights indefinitely.
• D. Only rely on pilot reports.

Answer: (A)

When radar coverage is degraded or unavailable, the priority is to keep traffic safe by switching to contingency procedures and using non-radar information. Implementing contingency procedures means following established alternate methods for controlling air traffic—such as procedural control and time- or altitude-based separations—so that aircraft can be guided safely without radar guidance. Relying on other sensors and forecasts adds additional sources of situational awareness: ADS-B or other available surveillance, weather data, instrument indications, and forecast information help controllers anticipate hazards, sequence aircraft, and assign routes and altitudes even without radar. Informing ATC ensures everyone understands the updated plan and can coordinate traffic flows accordingly, adjusting procedures to maintain safe separation and efficient operations.

Putting all this together, this approach directly supports safety and orderly air traffic management when radar is not available. In contrast, continuing as normal, delaying all flights indefinitely, or relying solely on pilot reports would not provide the necessary coverage, coordination, or data to maintain safe operations.