Possible Dassault Mirage crash.

[brianw999]

I just tracked a 7200 squawk code on Flight Radar.

Dassault Mirage F1 reg. N604AX was flying just south of Panama City when it appeared on radar transmitting a 7200 transponder MAYDAY code. It descended at approximately 2500 feet per minute. At an indicated 300 feet altitude the trace stopped and disappeared off of the radar.
I hope and pray that I am wrong but I fear that the aircraft may have crashed. The aircraft was in the area of Tyndall AFB where it dropped off the screen. There are two USAF F28 Talon aircraft currently in the area flying in close formation.
The aircraft is owned by AIRBORNE TACTICAL ADVANTAGE COMPANY LLC and flies training sorties for the US military.

[Evan]

What is 7200? Mayday is 7700. And I think you mean T38 Talons.

[brianw999]

What is 7200? And I think you mean T38 Talons.

Transponder code 7700 (whoops, finger fart combined with wrong glasses !) indicates that the aircraft is in a current MAYDAY situation that is threatening to affect flight safety. It will highlight the aircraft trace on ground radar screens to assist ATC in handling emergency services etc.

I stand corrected on the aircraft type. Thats down to a finger fart on the touch sensitive keyboard.

[Gabriel]

Transponder code 7200 indicates that the aircraft is in a current MAYDAY situation that is threatening to affect flight safety.

I don't know in the military world but in the civil aviation world 7200 doesn't mean anything. The 3 emergency codes are 7500 (hijack), 7600 (lost comm) and 7700 (emergency, or MAYDAY as you said). The way to remember them is:
75 guy with a knife
76 radio needs a fix
77 going to heaven

And actually these codes are from the original transponder that had only 2 2-bit digits (which lets you create the numbers from 0 to 7 in binary). So these were the highest code numbers that you could set in the transponder. When we moved to the 4-digits transponder 00 was added at the end of these emergency codes.

[brianw999]

I don't know in the military world but in the civil aviation world 7200 doesn't mean anything. The 3 emergency codes are 7500 (hijack), 7600 (lost comm) and 7700 (emergency, or MAYDAY as you said). The way to remember them is:
75 guy with a knife
76 radio needs a fix
77 going to heaven

And actually these codes are from the original transponder that had only 2 2-bit digits (which lets you create the numbers from 0 to 7 in binary). So these were the highest code numbers that you could set in the transponder. When we moved to the 4-digits transponder 00 was added at the end of these emergency codes.

As I have said in my correction….finger fart, I should have said 7700 squawk.