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PH.VIII.B — Powerplant Failure at Altitude in a Single-Engine Helicopter

PH.VIII.B for the Private Pilot Rotorcraft ACS: official objective, references, and 24 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.

FAA-S-ACS-15, November 2023. This study page does not replace the current FAA publication or an examiner's plan of action.

Official task context

PH.VIII.B official ACS context
Certificate or ratingPrivate Pilot
Aircraft categoryRotorcraft
Area of operationArea of Operation VIII. Emergency Operations
TaskTask B. Powerplant Failure at Altitude in a Single-Engine Helicopter
Task code prefixPH.VIII.B
Official referencesAC 61-140; FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-21, FAA-H-8083-25; POH/RFM
FAA documentFAA-S-ACS-15 — Private Pilot for Rotorcraft Category Helicopter Rating Airman Certification Standards
FAA source libraryOpen the official ACS library

Official task objective

To determine the applicant exhibits satisfactory knowledge, risk management, and skills associated with a simulated powerplant failure at altitude.

What the ACS code means

  • PH identifies the ACS standard family used for this Private Pilot Rotorcraft document.
  • VIII identifies Emergency Operations, the Area of Operation.
  • B identifies Powerplant Failure at Altitude in a Single-Engine Helicopter, 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

Official ACS knowledge items and mock-oral treatment
ACS codeOfficial descriptionHow a mock oral can probe it
PH.VIII.B.K1Elements of a powerplant failure at altitude.Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant.
PH.VIII.B.K2Effects of wind, weight, temperature, and density altitude.Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant.
PH.VIII.B.K3Main rotor (Nr) speed.Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant.
PH.VIII.B.K4Energy management.Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant.
PH.VIII.B.K5Causes and effects of high descent rates.Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant.
PH.VIII.B.K6Effect of varying bank angles, airspeeds, and rotor rpm.Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant.

Risk management elements

Official ACS risk management items and mock-oral treatment
ACS codeOfficial descriptionHow a mock oral can probe it
PH.VIII.B.R1Low entry altitudes.Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
PH.VIII.B.R2Selection of landing area.Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
PH.VIII.B.R3Flight control inputs.Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
PH.VIII.B.R4Turbulence, including wake turbulence.Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
PH.VIII.B.R5Low rotor rpm or rotor stall.Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
PH.VIII.B.R6Windshear.Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
PH.VIII.B.R7Powerplant failure during the maneuver.Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
PH.VIII.B.R8Collision hazards.Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
PH.VIII.B.R9Autorotation power-off never-exceed speed (VNE) limitation.Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
PH.VIII.B.R10Helicopter trim.Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision.
PH.VIII.B.R11Distractions, 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

Official ACS skills items and mock-oral treatment
ACS codeOfficial descriptionHow a mock oral can probe it
PH.VIII.B.S1Establish an autorotation.Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test.
PH.VIII.B.S2Establish power-off glide with the helicopter trimmed and autorotation airspeed, ±10 knots.Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test.
PH.VIII.B.S3Maintain main rotor (Nr) within normal limits.Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test.
PH.VIII.B.S4Select a suitable landing area considering altitude, wind, terrain, and obstructions.Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test.
PH.VIII.B.S5Maneuver to avoid undershooting or overshooting 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.
PH.VIII.B.S6Make radio calls as appropriate.Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test.
PH.VIII.B.S7Terminate approach with a power recovery at a safe altitude as directed by the evaluator.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

  • Note: 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.

Practice in a mock oral

Related ACS tasks