Airline Mayday Radio Calls Up 386% in 2023

What is causing steep rise of in-flight medical emergencies since 2021?

By John Leake

The following is a very spooky chart.

SQUAWK 7700 is the airline radio code that indicates a serious issue onboard the aircraft. It can be input by pilots or instructed by Air Traffic Control, and it alerts controllers and ground crew to prepare for the arrival of the aircraft.

I pulled the chart from a report detailing an inquiry conducted by veteran Virgin Australia Capt. Shane Murdock, who was fired from Virgin for refusing the COVID-19 shots. Captain Murdock who also gave a fascinating interview with reporter Charles Kovess on TNT Radio.

The dramatic increase of SQUAWK 7700 codes since 2022 was apparently compiled by a bot set up by the X account @GCFlightAlerts. It posts when a pilot squawks 7700 anywhere in the world.

Between 2018, and 2019, the mayday average was 29.1 per cent of all distress calls. During 2022, mayday calls increased by 272 per cent. In the first three months of 2023, the increase was 386 per cent. The graph shows there was an instant, steep increase when the vaccines were mandated to pilots.

Obviously Captain Murdock’s research should be the subject of a massive, international inquiry conducted by official aviation regulators.

Large commercial airliners are always flown by a Captain and First Officer. If one of them has a cardiac issue in flight, the other pilot can (in theory) fly the plane. Nevertheless, the stunning increase in mayday calls should be rigorously scrutinized.

Is this alarming trend juke a fluke or gross overstatement? How many of these Code 7700s are for medical emergencies on board, and how many are a result of mechanical issues? Was the supply chain for aircraft spare parts and electronics disrupted during the pandemic, resulting in an increase in mechanical glitches?

I strongly welcome reader feedback about this story. Is Captain Murdock the only airline industry veteran who is talking about this?

---

Campamento Tortuguero Playa Hermosa is a turtle sanctuary on Bonfil  Beach outside of Acapulco that rescues sea turtle eggs that would be likely destroyed by vehicles on the beaches or pilfered by tourists.   The sanctuary protects the eggs, hatches them and releases the babies into the ocean while protecting them from seagulls and other winged predators.  
The 35-year-old sanctuary is run by the mother/daughter duo of Monica and Michel Vallarino, who have helped educate the community and the tourists on the ecology of the turtles while simultaneously providing a refuge for puppies, kittens, ducks,  rabbits, and other wayward animals.
The Art of Liberty  Foundation hosted an annual fundraiser from 2018-2020 called the Art of  Liberty on the Beach (aKa The Turtle Party), where many of the leading artists in the liberty movement have rocked the sanctuary including Grant "Prezence" Ellman, Truniversal/Free Willow, Alais Clay, the  Freenauts, DJ Koala, DJ Ramiro Romani and ELA-mental among others.  
The sanctuary was devasted by Hurricane Otis, a category five hurricane that hit Acapulco and Bonfil Beach on November 2nd 2023. 

25% of Funds Raised Will Benefit Other Residents of Bonfil Beach

The Art of Liberty Foundation is organizing a fundraiser where 100% of the proceeds will go to direct relief.  The Vallarinos have agreed to share 25% of the proceeds with other Bonfil Beach residents in need to be distributed at their discretion.