PA.VI.D — Lost Procedures
PA.VI.D for the Private Pilot Airplane ACS: official objective, references, and 11 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-6C, 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 | Private Pilot |
|---|---|
| Aircraft category | Airplane |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation VI. Navigation |
| Task | Task D. Lost Procedures |
| Task code prefix | PA.VI.D |
| Official references | AIM; FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-3, FAA-H-8083-25; VFR Navigation Charts |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-6C — Private 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 lost procedures and can take appropriate steps to achieve a satisfactory outcome if lost.
What the ACS code means
- PA identifies the ACS standard family used for this Private Pilot Airplane document.
- VI identifies Navigation, the Area of Operation.
- D identifies Lost Procedures, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PA.VI.D.K1 | Methods to determine position. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| PA.VI.D.K2 | Assistance available if lost (e.g., radar services, communication procedures). | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PA.VI.D.R1 | Collision hazards. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| PA.VI.D.R2 | 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. |
| PA.VI.D.R3 | Recording times over waypoints. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| PA.VI.D.R4 | When to seek assistance or declare an emergency in a deteriorating situation. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PA.VI.D.S1 | Use an appropriate method to determine position. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| PA.VI.D.S2 | Maintain an appropriate heading and climb 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. |
| PA.VI.D.S3 | Identify prominent landmarks. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| PA.VI.D.S4 | Use navigation systems/facilities or contact an ATC facility for assistance. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
| PA.VI.D.S5 | Select an appropriate course of action. | 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.
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 Private Pilot Airplane ACS tasks
61 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-6C.
- PA.VI.C — Diversion
Area of Operation VI. Navigation
- PA.VII.A — Maneuvering During Slow Flight
Area of Operation VII. Slow Flight and Stalls
- PA.VI.A — Pilotage and Dead Reckoning
Area of Operation VI. Navigation
- PA.VI.B — Navigation Systems and Radar Services
Area of Operation VI. Navigation