CA.IX.E — Engine Failure During Takeoff Before VMC (Simulated) (AMEL, AMES)
CA.IX.E for the Commercial Pilot Airplane ACS: official objective, references, and 8 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-7B, 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 | Commercial Pilot |
|---|---|
| Aircraft category | Airplane |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation IX. Emergency Operations |
| Task | Task E. Engine Failure During Takeoff Before VMC (Simulated) (AMEL, AMES) |
| Task code prefix | CA.IX.E |
| Official references | FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-3, FAA-H-8083-25; FAA-P-8740-66; POH/AFM |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-7B — Commercial Pilot 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 engine failure during takeoff before minimum controllable airspeed (VMC).
What the ACS code means
- CA identifies the ACS standard family used for this Commercial Pilot Airplane document.
- IX identifies Emergency Operations, the Area of Operation.
- E identifies Engine Failure During Takeoff Before VMC (Simulated) (AMEL, AMES), 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CA.IX.E.K1 | Factors affecting minimum controllable speed (VMC). | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CA.IX.E.K2 | VMC (red line) and best single-engine rate of climb airspeed (VYSE) (blue line). | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| CA.IX.E.K3 | Accelerate/stop distance. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CA.IX.E.R1 | Potential engine failure during takeoff. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CA.IX.E.R2 | Configuring the airplane. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| CA.IX.E.R3 | 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. |
Skills elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| CA.IX.E.S1 | Close the throttles smoothly and promptly when a simulated engine failure occurs. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| CA.IX.E.S2 | Maintain directional control and apply brakes (AMEL), or flight controls (AMES), as necessary. | 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 Commercial Pilot Airplane ACS tasks
60 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-7B.
- CA.IX.D — Emergency Equipment and Survival Gear
Area of Operation IX. Emergency Operations
- CA.IX.F — Engine Failure After Liftoff (Simulated) (AMEL, AMES)
Area of Operation IX. Emergency Operations
- CA.IX.A — Emergency Descent
Area of Operation IX. Emergency Operations
- CA.IX.B — Emergency Approach and Landing (Simulated) (ASEL, ASES)
Area of Operation IX. Emergency Operations
- CA.IX.C — Systems and Equipment Malfunctions
Area of Operation IX. Emergency Operations