Notification to Captain (NOTOC) & Pilot-in-Command Information

Notification to Captain (NOTOC) & Pilot-in-Command Information

Before any commercial aircraft departs with dangerous goods on board, the flight crew must be fully informed of the exact nature, quantity, and physical location of every hazardous shipment. The Notification to Captain (NOTOC)—governed by IATA DGR Section 9.5, ICAO Technical Instructions Part 7, Chapter 1.4, and FAA 49 CFR 175.33—is the statutory legal document that conveys this vital information directly to the Pilot-in-Command (PIC). The NOTOC ensures absolute situational awareness on the flight deck during routine flight operations and provides indispensable data for inflight emergency response and ground rescue services.

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1. Statutory Mandate & Purpose of the NOTOC

The NOTOC is not merely an administrative form; it is a critical flight safety document. In the event of an inflight fire, cabin depressurization, or cargo leak, the flight crew must immediately know what chemicals are on board, where they are stowed, and what emergency response actions are required. Under international aviation law, an aircraft must NOT push back from the gate or start engines until the Pilot-in-Command has received, reviewed, and signed the official written NOTOC.

Primary Regulatory Functions of the NOTOC

• Flight Deck Situational Awareness: Provides the PIC and First Officer with exact details of hazardous materials loaded in each cargo compartment.
• Emergency Response Guidance: Contains the ICAO Emergency Response Guidance Code (ERG Drill Code) for each entry, allowing the crew to reference specific inflight emergency procedures in ICAO Doc 9481.
• Verification of Loading & Accessibility: Allows the PIC to verify that Cargo Aircraft Only (CAO) accessible stowage rules and Class 7 Radioactive Transport Index (TI) limits have been respected.
• Ground ARFF Handover: Enables flight crew to transmit exact dangerous goods details to Air Traffic Control (ATC) during an emergency, allowing airport Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) teams to prepare appropriate chemical suppression agents prior to landing.

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2. Mandatory Data Fields on the NOTOC

Under DGR Section 9.5.1, the NOTOC must be dedicated, legible, and contain the following mandatory information entries:

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|              NOTIFICATION TO CAPTAIN (NOTOC) MANDATORY DATA FIELDS              |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| FLIGHT NO: DL 892      AIRCRAFT REG: N704DN       DATE: 2026-08-11   DEP: ATL  |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| AIR WAYBILL NO  | UN NO | PROPER SHIPPING NAME | CLASS | PG | QTY/PKG | LOCATION|
+-----------------+-------+----------------------+-------+----+---------+---------+
| 006-12345678    |UN 1090| Acetone              | Class 3| II | 2 x 5 L | Hold 1  |
| 006-87654321    |UN 2014| Hydrogen peroxide    |5.1 (8)| II | 1 x 20 L| Hold 4  |
| 006-99887766    |UN 3480| Lithium ion batteries| Class 9| -- | 4 x 10kg| ULD AKE |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SPECIAL HANDLING: CAO [X]  PAX [ ]   ERG DRILL CODES: 3L (UN 1090), 5C (UN 2014) |
| TOTAL TRANSPORT INDEX (CLASS 7): N/A                                            |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SIGNATURE OF ISSUING LOADMASTER: [ J. Smith ]         TIME: 14:15 UTC           |
| SIGNATURE OF PILOT-IN-COMMAND:   [ Capt. R. Vance ]   TIME: 14:22 UTC           |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Detailed Breakdown of NOTOC Entries

1. Flight Identification: Flight number, aircraft registration tail number, departure airport, destination airport, and date.
2. Air Waybill (AWB) Number: The tracking number associated with each consignment.
3. UN/ID Number & Proper Shipping Name: Exact UN designation and PSN matching the Shipper's Declaration.
4. Hazard Class or Division & Subsidiary Risks: Primary class number and any subsidiary risk numbers enclosed in parentheses (e.g., 5.1 (8)).
5. Packing Group: Roman numeral I, II, or III (where assigned).
6. Number of Packages & Net/Gross Quantity: Exact package count and net mass/volume per package (or gross mass for Class 7 and dry ice).
7. Exact Loading Location: Precise location code (e.g., Hold 1, Hold 4 Bay 2, or specific ULD Container ID AKE 12345 DL).
8. Cargo Aircraft Only (CAO) Indicator: Explicit identification of packages restricted to freighters.
9. Accessible vs. Non-Accessible Stowage Indicator: Denotes whether CAO cargo is stowed in an accessible compartment.
10. ICAO ERG Drill Code: The numerical/alphabetical emergency drill code (e.g., 3L, 5C, 8K, 10L) extracted from ICAO Doc 9481.
11. Dry Ice / Class 7 Special Summaries: Total net weight of dry ice per compartment and cumulative Transport Index (TI) for radioactive consignments.

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3. Pilot-in-Command Signature & Briefing Protocol

The Pre-Flight Review & Verification

Prior to flight departure, the loadmaster or authorized ground handling agent presents two copies of the completed NOTOC to the Pilot-in-Command:

• PIC Audit: The PIC reviews the document to confirm that total dangerous goods quantities comply with airframe limitations, radioactive TI limits do not exceed 50.0 TI (PAX) or 200.0 TI (CAO), and CAO accessible stowage rules are satisfied.
• Physical Signature: The PIC must sign and time the NOTOC, confirming acceptance of the dangerous goods load.
• Cockpit Stowage: One signed copy remains on the flight deck in the captain's flight folder throughout the voyage.

Protocol for Last-Minute Changes (LMC)

If cargo is loaded, offloaded, or repositioned after the NOTOC has been signed:

1. Ground handling staff must issue an updated NOTOC or formal Last-Minute Change (LMC) addendum.
2. The PIC must review and sign the revised NOTOC before engine start.

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4. Ground Retention & Inflight Emergency ATC Relay Protocol

Ground Record Retention Mandates (DGR 9.5.4)

• Ground Copy Duty: A duplicate signed copy of the NOTOC must remain on the ground at the airport of departure.
• Ground Accessibility: The ground copy must be readily available at the departure station cargo office so handling agents can immediately transmit details to emergency services during an incident.
• Retention Period: NOTOC records must be retained for at least three months. National civil aviation authorities may impose a longer period, so check the rule applicable to the State of the Operator.

Inflight Emergency ATC Transmission Protocol

If an inflight emergency occurs (e.g., engine failure, cargo hold fire warning, cabin smoke), the Pilot-in-Command initiates emergency radio communications with Air Traffic Control (ATC):

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                  INFLIGHT EMERGENCY ATC NOTOC RELAY WORKFLOW                    |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
  1. FLIGHT CREW DETECTS EMERGENCY (e.g. Hold Smoke Warning)
  2. PIC REFERENCES NOTOC IN COCKPIT -> IDENTIFIES UN 1090 & ERG CODE 3L
  3. PIC DECLARES "MAYDAY" TO ATC:
     "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY, SPEEDBIRD 215, CARGO HOLD FIRE WARNING."
  4. PIC RELAYS CRITICAL NOTOC DETAILS TO ATC:
     - UN Numbers on board (e.g. UN 1090, UN 2014)
     - Hazard Class/Division (Class 3, Div 5.1)
     - Net Quantities & Compartment Location (Hold 1 & Hold 4)
     - ICAO ERG Drill Codes (3L, 5C)
  5. ATC RELAYS DATA DIRECTLY TO AIRPORT FIRE COMMAND (ARFF CHIEF)
  6. ARFF TEAMS PREPARE FOAM / HALON TRUCKS PRIOR TO AIRCRAFT LANDING
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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5. Practical NOTOC Completion Case Study

Practical Exam Scenario Audit

A Boeing 747-400F freighter is departing Anchorage (ANC) for Tokyo Narita (NRT) carrying two dangerous goods consignments in Hold 2 (ULD position PR-2):

• Consignment 1: UN 1263, Paint, Class 3, PG II, 4 steel drums x 50 L, ERG Code 3L.
• Consignment 2: UN 2985, Chlorosilanes, flammable, corrosive, n.o.s., Class 3, Sub-risk Class 8, PG II, 1 drum x 20 L, ERG Code 3WE.

Loadmaster & PIC Audit Checklist

1. Verify UN Entries: Both entries recorded on NOTOC with AWBs, proper shipping names, classes, sub-risks, quantities, and location Hold 2 (PR-2).
2. Verify ERG Codes: 3L assigned to UN 1263; 3WE assigned to UN 2985. Note suffix W indicates Water Reactive (Do Not Use Water!).
3. Verify CAO Status: Both consignments labeled CAO; Hold 2 is a Class C compartment equipped with automatic Halon 1301 fire suppression.
4. Signatures Executed: Loadmaster signs at 08:10 Z; Captain reviews, confirms Halon compatibility, and signs at 08:18 Z prior to taxi.