Editing Mayday (section)

==Mayday calls==
{{anchor|Mayday relay}}
[[File:MV Summit Venture Mayday Call.flac|thumb|A maritime example: The actual mayday call made by {{MV|Summit Venture}} when it collided with the [[Sunshine Skyway Bridge]] in 1980, causing the bridge to collapse.]]
[[File:MV_Summit_Venture_Mayday_Call_NR.ogg|thumb|A noise-reduced, condensed version of the above {{MV|Summit Venture}} collision call.]]
If a mayday call cannot be sent because a radio is not available, a variety of other [[distress signal]]s and [[Call for help|calls for help]] can be used. Additionally, a mayday call can be sent on behalf of one vessel by another; this is known as a mayday relay.

Civilian aircraft making a mayday call in United States airspace are encouraged by the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] to use the following format, omitting any portions as necessary for expediency or where they are irrelevant (capitalization as in the original source):

{{blockquote|Mayday, Mayday, Mayday; (Name of station addressed); Aircraft call sign and type; Nature of emergency; Weather; Pilot's intentions and/or requests; Present position and heading, or if lost then last known position and heading and time when aircraft was at that position; [[Altitude]] or [[Flight level]]; Fuel remaining in minutes; Number of people on board; Any other useful information.<ref>Aeronautical Information Manual, paragraph 6-4-2, "Obtaining Emergency Assistance", [[Federal Aviation Administration]], 1999.</ref>}}

Making a false distress call is a criminal offense in many countries, punishable by a fine, restitution, and possible imprisonment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg534/sarfactsinfo/SARisNOjoke.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516171604/https://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg534/sarfactsinfo/SARisNOjoke.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=2017-05-16|title=No Joke (Archived)}}</ref>