A C172 had departed KPHF (Newport News) and was north of the airport when they declared an emergency because of a rough running engine. The pilot broadcast a Mayday call on guard but they may have been too low to be heard by KPHF tower. Instead, commercial flights overhead heard the Mayday call and relayed the situation to ATC. The aircraft eventually managed to return and land safely at KPHF.
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N733QJ/history/20231114/1543Z/KPHF/KPHF
