What is the first action to take when an aircraft reports an NAVAID malfunction?

• A. Issue a NOTAM to inform aircraft of the outage
• B. Report the outage to the appropriate Air Traffic Division Office
• C. Attempt to repair the NAVAID
• D. Request a report from a second aircraft

Answer: (D)

The key idea is to verify a suspected NAVAID outage before taking broader action. When one aircraft reports a NAVAID problem, the safest and most reliable first step is to obtain an independent confirmation from another aircraft. This helps distinguish a real, widespread outage from a temporary issue affecting just one aircraft’s receiver, such as localized interference, equipment problems on that vessel, or pilot-positioning errors. By confirming with a second aircraft, controllers and operators can then determine the appropriate next steps—issuing a NOTAM or advisories, re-routing traffic, or coordinating maintenance—based on solid, corroborated information rather than a single report. If the second aircraft also experiences the same issue, there’s stronger justification for formal notices and procedures; if not, it’s treated as a local or false alarm. The other actions—trying to repair the NAVAID, or immediately informing a division office or issuing a NOTAM—are steps that come after verification; they depend on confirming the outage and understanding its scope.