AA.VII.C — Powerplant Failure (Simulated) (ASEL, ASES)
AA.VII.C for the Airline Transport Pilot Airplane ACS: official objective, references, and 25 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-11A, November 2023. This study page does not replace the current FAA publication or an examiner's plan of action.
Official task context
| Certificate or rating | Airline Transport Pilot |
|---|---|
| Aircraft category | Airplane |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation VII. Emergency Operations |
| Task | Task C. Powerplant Failure (Simulated) (ASEL, ASES) |
| Task code prefix | AA.VII.C |
| Official references | FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-3, FAA-H-8083-25; POH/AFM |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-11A — Airline Transport Pilot and Type Rating for Airplane Category Airman Certification Standards |
| FAA source library | Open the official ACS library |
Official task objective
To determine the applicant exhibits satisfactory knowledge, risk management, and skills associated with powerplant failure and associated emergency approach and landing procedures.
What the ACS code means
- AA identifies the ACS standard family used for this Airline Transport Pilot Airplane document.
- VII identifies Emergency Operations, the Area of Operation.
- C identifies Powerplant Failure (Simulated) (ASEL, ASES), the Task within that Area.
- K, R, and S identify knowledge, risk-management, and skill elements. The number selects the item; a trailing lowercase letter identifies a listed sub-element.
Knowledge elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| AA.VII.C.K1 | Immediate action items and emergency procedures for a forced landing. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.VII.C.K2 | Airspeed, including: | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.VII.C.K2a | a. Importance of best glide speed and its relationship to distance | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.VII.C.K2b | b. Difference between best glide speed and minimum sink speed | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.VII.C.K2c | c. Effects of wind on glide distance | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.VII.C.K3 | Effects of atmospheric conditions on emergency approach and landing. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.VII.C.K4 | A stabilized approach, including energy management concepts. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.VII.C.K5 | Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) and other emergency locating devices. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AA.VII.C.K6 | Air traffic control (ATC) services to aircraft in distress. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
Risk management elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| AA.VII.C.R1 | Altitude, wind, terrain, obstructions, gliding distance, and available landing distance considerations. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.VII.C.R2 | Following or changing the planned flightpath to the selected landing area. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.VII.C.R3 | Collision hazards. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.VII.C.R4 | Configuring the airplane. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.VII.C.R5 | Low altitude maneuvering, including stall, spin, or controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.VII.C.R6 | Distractions, task prioritization, loss of situational awareness, or disorientation. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AA.VII.C.R7 | A powerplant failure in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
Skills elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| AA.VII.C.S1 | Recognize the powerplant failure. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.VII.C.S2 | Determine the cause for the simulated powerplant failure (if altitude permits) and if a restart is a viable option. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.VII.C.S3 | Maintain positive control throughout the maneuver. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.VII.C.S4 | Establish and maintain the recommended best glide airspeed, ±5 knots. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.VII.C.S5 | Configure the airplane in accordance with the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH)\Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) and existing conditions. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.VII.C.S6 | Select a suitable landing area considering altitude, wind, terrain, obstructions, and available glide distance. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.VII.C.S7 | Establish a proper flight path to the selected landing area. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.VII.C.S8 | Complete emergency checklist items appropriate to the airplane in a timely manner and as recommended by the manufacturer or operator. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AA.VII.C.S9 | Communicate with air traffic control (ATC) and the evaluator, as appropriate for the situation. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
Difficulty data
Difficulty calibration is ongoing for this Task. A difficulty estimate is published only with a sufficiently large, privacy-preserving first directly recorded assessment sample. Any observed difficulty comes from Checkride AI mock-oral practice assessments and is a practice-data proxy, not an FAA practical-test pass or fail rate.
Difficulty calibration remains ongoing until an item clears the private reporting threshold. Percentages, when available, describe the share who needed review on their first directly recorded assessment. Underlying sample sizes are never published, and historical final states are not backfilled into this measure.
Official task notes
- See Appendix 2: Safety of Flight and Appendix 3: Aircraft, Equipment, and Operational Requirements & Limitations for information related to this Task.
How to use this in a mock oral
A mock examiner can ask you to explain the published elements, apply them to the configured aircraft and airport scenario, identify risks, and defend a decision. The prompts are practice scenarios; they are not claimed to be actual FAA examiner scripts or a prediction of the questions you will receive.
Related ACS tasks
- All Airline Transport Pilot Airplane ACS tasks
48 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-11A.
- AA.VII.B — Powerplant Failure During Takeoff
Area of Operation VII. Emergency Operations
- AA.VII.D — Inflight Powerplant(s) Failure and Restart (AMEL, AMES)
Area of Operation VII. Emergency Operations
- AA.VII.A — Emergency Procedures
Area of Operation VII. Emergency Operations
- AA.VII.E — Approach and Landing with a Powerplant Failure (Simulated) (AMEL, AMES)
Area of Operation VII. Emergency Operations