If radio communications with ATC are lost, what is the recommended action?

• A. Follow the lost communications procedures as defined in the QRH and continue the flight using the last assigned/expected route.
• B. Turn to the nearest airport immediately.
• C. Maintain altitude and speed until contact is reestablished.
• D. Enter a hold pattern and wait for further ATC instruction.

Answer: (A)

When radio communications are lost, you follow the published lost-communications procedures and continue the flight on the route ATC has last assigned or advised you to expect. This approach, known in practice as AVEF (Assigned, Vectored, Expected, Filed), keeps you on a predictable and ATC-coordinated path so you don’t diverge from the flow of traffic or create conflicts with other aircraft. On a Boeing 787, the QRH specifies that you should proceed along the last assigned route first, then the route ATC has advised you to expect if you were being vectored, and only then the route you filed for the flight if neither of the prior two apply. You also maintain the last assigned altitude and speed, attempt to reestablish contact, and continue toward your destination or approach as appropriate.

Turning to the nearest airport immediately or simply holding pattern without following the expected route would break ATC coordination and could complicate traffic management. Maintaining speed or altitude alone doesn’t provide the navigation path ATC plans for you, which is why the recommended action is the procedure in the QRH that uses the last assigned or expected route.