"Teacherjh" wrote in message
...
So, at least in somebody's mind, an alarm went off at 5:34. No?
Otherwise
there is nothing special about the two minutes afterwards, and no search
would
be initiated.

AFAIK, the search & rescue aspect is the same for IFR and VFR. ATC has
nothing to do with it, except that when an IFR flight arrives at a towered
airport, the controller contacts the FSS (who is the entity waiting for the
"timer to go off") to close the IFR flight plan on the pilot's behalf.

That is, unless what you mean is that a search begins any time a handoff
fails
under IFR.

AFAIK, a failed handoff doesn't *automatically* start a search. ATC may in
fact prompt a search to begin if the loss of communications is accompanied
by some other evidence that there was an accident. Otherwise, normal lost
comm procedures would prevail, which basically just mean ATC clears the
route filed and/or cleared. Thirty minutes after the filed arrival time, if
the aircraft hasn't shown up and the FSS hasn't been told to close the
flight plan, *then* search & rescue would begin.

Pete