Pressurization failure

여압 상실은 즉시·필수 행동이 줄줄이 이어지는 상황입니다 — 마스크 착용, 비상 강하, MAYDAY. 그래서 오늘 문법은 "해야만 했다"를 말하는 필요·의무 표현(need to / have to)입니다. 동사도 don, initiate, level off 같은 새 표현 위주예요.

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1. Scenario

I was the First Officer of HL123, a twin-engine aircraft, in the cruise at high altitude.

During the cruise, we lost cabin pressurization, and the cabin altitude began to climb quickly. The cabin altitude warning came on.

The first thing we had to do was put on our oxygen masks and check that we could talk to each other. Then we declared a MAYDAY and told ATC we were starting an immediate descent. Because there was traffic on the airway below us, we turned off the airway as we descended, and ATC cleared the airspace beneath us and cleared us straight down to a safe level.

We descended to 10,000 feet, where the air is breathable, and we levelled off. The passenger masks had dropped automatically, so we made an announcement to keep everyone calm.

Once we were level and stable, we reviewed the situation and diverted to the nearest suitable airport, where we landed safely.

2. At a Glance

English — In the cruise, we lost cabin pressurization and the cabin altitude climbed quickly. The first actions are essential: put on oxygen masks, then get down fast. So we declared a MAYDAY and made an emergency descent to 10,000 feet, where the air is breathable, and levelled off. The passenger masks dropped automatically. Once stable, we diverted to the nearest suitable airport.

한국어 — 순항 중 객실 여압을 상실해 객실 고도가 빠르게 올라갔습니다. 첫 행동이 필수입니다 — 산소마스크 착용, 그다음 빠른 강하. 그래서 MAYDAY를 선언하고 호흡 가능한 10,000피트로 비상 강하해 수평을 잡았습니다. 승객 마스크는 자동으로 내려왔고요. 안정된 뒤 가장 가까운 적합 공항으로 회항해 착륙했습니다.

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3. Key Verbs

lose

뜻: (여압 등을) 상실하다

• We lost cabin pressurization in the cruise.
• When you lose pressurization, the cabin altitude climbs.

don

뜻: (마스크를) 착용하다

• The first thing we had to do was don our oxygen masks.
• We donned our masks before doing anything else.

initiate

뜻: 개시하다, 시작하다

• We initiated an emergency descent.
• We initiated the descent as soon as our masks were on.

descend

뜻: 강하하다

• We needed to descend to a safe altitude fast.
• We descended to 10,000 feet.

level (off)

뜻: 수평을 잡다

• We levelled off at 10,000 feet.
• We levelled the aircraft once the air was breathable.

recover

뜻: 회복하다, 안정시키다

• Once we had recovered, we reviewed the situation.
• The cabin altitude recovered after the descent.

advise

뜻: 알리다

• We advised ATC of the emergency descent.
• We advised the cabin crew and the passengers.

divert

뜻: 회항하다

• We diverted to the nearest suitable airport.
• Once stable, we diverted for a safe landing.

confirm

뜻: 확인하다

• We confirmed we could talk to each other on the masks.
• We confirmed the cabin altitude was under control.

complete

뜻: 완료하다

• We completed the emergency descent checklist.
• We completed the approach and landed safely.

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4. Key Expressions & Collocations

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5. Vocabulary

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6. Sentence Frames

빈칸만 갈아끼우면 다른 비상·즉각조치 상황에도 그대로 씁니다.

• During the cruise, we lost ____. → During the cruise, we lost cabin pressurization.
• The first thing we had to do was ____. → … was put on our oxygen masks.
• We needed to ____ fast, so we ____. → We needed to get down fast, so we initiated an emergency descent.
• We descended to ____ and levelled off. → We descended to 10,000 feet and levelled off.
• Once we were stable, we ____. → Once we were stable, we diverted to the nearest suitable airport.

오늘의 표현 포인트 — "The first thing we had to do was ____" / "We needed to ____ fast." 즉시 해야 했던 일을 강조하는 틀. 비상 첫 조치를 말할 때 강력합니다.

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7. Common Mistakes → Better Phrasing

한국인이 자주 쓰는 틀리거나 약한 표현을, 시험에서 통하는 표현으로 바꿔 익히세요.

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8. Grammar Point — Necessity (need to / have to)

"해야만 했다"는 had to / needed to로 말합니다. 비상 첫 조치를 설명할 때 자주 나와요.

• The first thing we had to do was put on our masks.
• We needed to get down to a safe altitude fast.
• We had to descend immediately, so we declared a MAYDAY.

핵심: 과거의 필수 행동은 "had to + 동사원형" 또는 "needed to + 동사원형". 강한 필요를 자연스럽게 전달합니다.

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9. Model Answer — Q1

"What happened to your aircraft? Explain the nature of the incident."

틀은 자유 — 무슨 일 → 어떻게 대처 → 결과 흐름이면 됩니다.

During the cruise at high altitude, we lost cabin pressurization, and the cabin altitude began to climb quickly. The cabin altitude warning came on.

The first thing we had to do was put on our oxygen masks and check that we could still talk to each other. Then we declared a MAYDAY and told ATC we were making an immediate descent. Because there was traffic on the airway below, we turned off the airway as we went down, and ATC cleared the airspace beneath us and cleared us straight down to a safe level.

We descended to 10,000 feet, where the air is breathable, and we levelled off. The passenger masks had dropped automatically, so we made an announcement to keep everyone calm and tell them what was happening.

Once we were level and stable, we reviewed the situation and diverted to the nearest suitable airport, where we landed safely. Everything came down to speed on the first actions — masks on, then down — because at high altitude there is very little time.

10. Model Answer — Q2

"How do you think ATC handled the situation? Could it have been handled differently?"

Q2 = ATC 평가로 의견 표현을 익히는 자리. 아래는 한 예시 — 외워서 그대로 쓰지 말고, 시작·마무리 표현은 자유롭게 바꿔 보세요.

From a safety point of view, ATC gave us everything we needed. As soon as we declared the MAYDAY, they cleared the airspace below us, approved our turn off the airway, and cleared us straight down, so we could descend fast without worrying about conflicts. They also confirmed a safe level to stop at, which gave us a solid base to plan the diversion.

Honestly, my only note is about the radio — shorter transmissions would have helped while we were on oxygen masks, because talking through the mask is hard work. Even so, they reacted immediately and gave us room to descend, and that mattered most.

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11. Follow-up Q&A

1. Why do you put on oxygen masks first? → At high altitude there is very little time of useful consciousness, so masks come first to protect the crew before anything else.
2. Why descend to 10,000 feet? → Because the air there is breathable, so we can take the masks off and the passengers are safe.
3. Why did you declare a MAYDAY? → A pressurization failure is a serious, time-critical emergency, so a MAYDAY gets us immediate priority and clear airspace to descend.
4. What about the passengers? → Their masks drop automatically, and we make an announcement to keep them calm and tell them to use the oxygen.

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12. Shadowing Sentences

각 문장을 3~5번 소리 내어 따라 하세요.

1. During the cruise, we lost cabin pressurization.
2. The cabin altitude began to climb quickly.
3. The first thing we had to do was put on our oxygen masks.
4. We turned off the airway, and ATC cleared the airspace beneath us.
5. We declared a MAYDAY and initiated an emergency descent.
6. We descended to 10,000 feet and levelled off.
7. The passenger masks dropped automatically.
8. We made an announcement to keep everyone calm.
9. Once we were stable, we diverted to the nearest suitable airport.
10. We acted fast on the first actions, because there is very little time.

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다 읽었으면, 위 문장 구조 몇 개를 골라 30초만 직접 말해보세요. 화면에서 녹음하고 ICAO 6영역 채점을 받아보고 싶다면 EPTA Coach에서 1회차를 무료로 열어둡니다.