System and method for performing an aircraft automatic emergency descent

A system for controlling an emergency descent by an aircraft, comprising:

• a terrain database configured to store terrain elevation;
• a navigation system configured to provide navigational data;
• a flight management system configured to manage aircraft flight, and including an autopilot system;
• a sensor system configured to aircraft flight parameters;
• a data link unit configured to transmit signals;
• a processor coupled to each of the terrain database, the navigation system, the flight management system, the sensor system, and the data link unit, and configured to:
• activate an autopilot in response to an occurrence of both (i) the aircraft is above a predefined altitude and (ii) a cabin altitude of the aircraft reaches a predefined level, to initiate the emergency descent;
• determine an airspeed for the aircraft to maintain in the emergency descent;
• categorize potential hazards in the vicinity of the aircraft by assigning a level of risk to each potential hazard, wherein the potential hazards comprise:
• other aircraft;
• weather;
• time above 10,000 feet;
• estimated time to an alternate;
• terrain;
• and
• special use areas;
• identify a flight path, which either avoids the potential hazards or which represents the lowest level of risk in view of the potential hazards;
• transmit a message conveying the initializing of the emergency descent by at least one of the methods selected from the group consisting of:
• an automated voice message;
• a 7700 squawk and ident;
• and
• a data link electronic message;
• configure the aircraft for the emergency descent;
• and
• command the aircraft to fly the airspeed and the flight path by the autopilot until a crewmember disengages the autopilot.