AI.XII.A — Emergency Descent
AI.XII.A for the Flight Instructor Airplane ACS: official objective, references, and 17 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-25, 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 | Flight Instructor |
|---|---|
| Aircraft category | Airplane |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation XII. Emergency Operations |
| Task | Task A. Emergency Descent |
| Task code prefix | AI.XII.A |
| Official references | FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-3, FAA-H-8083-9, FAA-H-8083-23, FAA-H-8083-25; POH/AFM |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-25 — Flight Instructor for Airplane Category Airman Certification Standards |
| FAA source library | Open the official ACS library |
Official task objective
To determine the applicant understands emergency descent, can apply that knowledge, manage associated risks, demonstrate appropriate skills, and provide effective instruction.
What the ACS code means
- AI identifies the ACS standard family used for this Flight Instructor Airplane document.
- XII identifies Emergency Operations, the Area of Operation.
- A identifies Emergency Descent, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| AI.XII.A.K1 | Purpose of and procedures for emergency descent. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.XII.A.K2 | Situations that would require an emergency descent (e.g., depressurization, smoke, or engine fire). | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.XII.A.K3 | Immediate action items and emergency procedures. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.XII.A.K4 | Aircraft performance and limitations. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.XII.A.K5 | Airspeed, including airspeed limitations. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.XII.A.K6 | Common errors related to this Task. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| AI.XII.A.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. |
| AI.XII.A.R2 | Collision hazards. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AI.XII.A.R3 | Configuring the airplane. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AI.XII.A.R4 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| AI.XII.A.S1 | Clear the area. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AI.XII.A.S2 | Establish and maintain the appropriate airspeed and configuration appropriate to the scenario specified by the evaluator and as covered in Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH)/Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) for the emergency descent. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AI.XII.A.S3 | Maintain orientation, divide attention appropriately, and plan and execute a smooth recovery. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AI.XII.A.S4 | Use bank angle between 30° and 45° to maintain positive load factors during the descent. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AI.XII.A.S5 | Maintain appropriate airspeed +0/-10 knots, and level off at a specified altitude ±100 feet. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AI.XII.A.S6 | Complete the appropriate checklist(s). | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| AI.XII.A.S7 | Analyze and correct common errors related to this Task. | 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.
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 Flight Instructor Airplane ACS tasks
85 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-25.
- AI.XI.E — Recovery from Unusual Flight Attitudes
Area of Operation XI. Basic Instrument Maneuvers
- AI.XII.B — Emergency Approach and Landing (Simulated) (ASEL, ASES)
Area of Operation XII. Emergency Operations
- AI.XII.C — Systems and Equipment Malfunctions
Area of Operation XII. Emergency Operations
- AI.XII.D — Emergency Equipment and Survival Gear
Area of Operation XII. Emergency Operations
- AI.XII.E — Engine Failure During Takeoff Before VMC (Simulated) (AMEL, AMES)
Area of Operation XII. Emergency Operations