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Private pilot · ACS PA.IX.A · Instructor lesson plan

Emergency Descent

Student pack: Train: Emergency Descent · Full lesson: Prepare guide

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1 · Objective

By the end of this lesson your student can explain emergency descent in their own words, apply it in a realistic situation, and fly it to the ACS standard for PA.IX.A.

Why it matters for safety: A fire or a serious medical problem in flight leaves very little time. A pilot who knows how to lose altitude quickly without overstressing the airplane, losing control or hitting traffic can turn a few minutes into a landing. One who dives straight down at full power risks structural failure and a lost airplane.

2 · Assign before the lesson

Pre-work: the free Train pack, Emergency Descent. Get down fast and safely: power idle, bank 30-45°, the right speed, then a controlled level-off.

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Pack: pilotprep.pro/train/ppl/emergency-descent · Full lesson: pilotprep.pro/prepare/ppl/emergency-descent

3 · Teach sequence

Key points to land

  • Emergency descents are for fire, smoke, a sudden loss of pressurization, or a passenger with a critical medical problem: anything that needs you on the ground now.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Power to idle, then roll into a 30-45° bank to keep positive load factor while descending steeply. Configure as the POH says.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures; Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.IX.A.S4)
  • Respect airspeed limits: never exceed VNE; fly above VNO only in smooth air; in turbulence slow to maneuvering speed (VA, lower at lighter weight) or the POH turbulence speed; stay below VFE and VLE if flaps or gear are out.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Clear below you before and during the descent: you’re descending through other traffic’s altitudes.(AC 90-48, Pilots' Role in Collision Avoidance)
  • Plan where you’re going: the nearest suitable airport or landing area, considering wind, terrain and glide distance.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Level off smoothly at the target altitude. Checkride standard: airspeed +0/-10 knots, level-off ±100 feet.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.IX.A.S5)
  • Radio calls once the airplane is under control: declare on the frequency you're using if you're talking to ATC, squawk 7700 to alert radar, and use 121.5 only if you can't reach a facility otherwise. On a checkride, announce or simulate the calls as the evaluator directs.(AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures; AIM 6-1-2)

When and how

  • Two kinds of trigger. Fire, smoke or fumes, or a sudden decompression: fly the emergency descent at the maximum rate within limits. A medical or other urgent problem (a collapsed passenger): declare, and expedite the descent and landing at the nearest suitable airport with help meeting you, using a prompt but appropriate profile, not automatically a near-VNE 30-45° spiral.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • The entry, in order: clear the area first (look below and around, ideally starting the descent in a clearing turn that also checks for traffic below and picks a landing area); then per the POH, throttle idle (carburetor heat on first where the POH directs), mixture as directed, propeller forward if controllable, the POH configuration, and roll into a 30-45° bank to the POH speed. For an engine fire, the fire checklist (fuel off) comes before the descent.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
  • The bank keeps the load factor positive and helps you see below; it also lets you turn toward your landing area.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)

Speeds, configuration and performance

  • Don’t exceed VNE, and fly between VNO and VNE (the yellow arc) only in smooth air. If you meet turbulence, slow to maneuvering speed (VA) or below, or the POH turbulence penetration speed, to protect the structure.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Fly exactly the configuration the POH specifies for the scenario. Some descents are clean and fast; some use the gear with the flaps up. Extending flaps or gear caps your speed at VFE or VLE, which can make the overall descent slower, not faster: drag devices are a POH choice, not a rule that more drag is always faster.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
  • The target speed is the POH emergency descent speed for the scenario, generally the maximum allowable for the procedure, held +0/-10 knots. There's no plus tolerance because exceeding it is the structural risk: aim a little below the target.(Your airplane's POH/AFM; Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.IX.A.S5)
  • Engine fire: secure the fuel first, by the POH checklist (typically mixture idle cutoff, fuel selector off, fuel pump off, then cabin heat and air as directed), so the fire has nothing to burn. Then descend and land as soon as possible, per the POH fire checklist. A faster descent may blow out the fire, but the fire may have weakened the structure, and a lower-speed descent stresses the airplane less. Never restart an engine whose fire appeared to go out.(Your airplane's POH/AFM; Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)

Where you’re going

  • Pick the nearest suitable airport or landing area early, using the GPS "nearest" function and the chart, and turn toward it in the descent.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Consider wind, terrain and obstacles, how far you can glide if the engine has to be shut down, and how long the landing area is.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)

Fly the airplane first

  • In any emergency the first job is the same: maintain control. Aviate, navigate, communicate, in that order.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Keep scanning for traffic even during an emergency; other airplanes are still out there, and you may be descending through their altitudes.(AC 90-48, Pilots' Role in Collision Avoidance)
  • Use the checklist once the airplane is under control: memory items first, then read the checklist to confirm nothing was missed.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))

Attention, practice and the engine

  • Keep your orientation and divide your attention through a steep, continuous turning descent: distraction, task overload, lost situational awareness and disorientation are the risks. Watch for wires as well as aircraft, terrain and obstacles.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • Start the recovery high enough for a safe return to level flight or a precautionary landing. In practice, once the descent is established and stable, terminate it; avoid long practice descents in piston airplanes, which overcool the cylinders.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
  • In a long idle descent, use carburetor heat as the POH directs and clear the engine periodically (about once per 360° of turn is common practice). That's how you practice it; in a real emergency the POH governs.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures; Your airplane's POH/AFM)

Watch for in the airplane: Your instructor watches whether you clear the area, reduce power and roll into the bank promptly, hold the right speed without exceeding limits, keep looking for traffic, plan the landing area, and level off smoothly on altitude.

4 · Ask your student

In order: recall, then understanding, then applying it. Move up only when the answer shows it.

  1. Recall · Name three situations that need an emergency descent.

    A strong answer: Fire, smoke in the cabin, sudden decompression, or a critical medical emergency on board.

  2. Understand · Why bank 30 to 45 degrees in an emergency descent?

    A strong answer: It keeps the load factor positive while the nose is low, lets me see below, and lets me turn toward my landing area.

  3. Apply · You smell smoke at 7,500 feet. Walk me through it.

    A strong answer: Fly the airplane, then run the smoke and fire checklist. If it doesn’t clear, start an emergency descent: power idle, bank 30 to 45, the POH speed, toward the nearest airport. Squawk 7700, tell ATC, land as soon as possible.

Scenarios to talk through

  • In the descent you hit moderate turbulence at a high airspeed. What do you do?

    Sound decision: Slow to maneuvering speed (VA) or below, or the POH turbulence speed, to protect the structure, and keep the bank and descent going. The yellow arc is for smooth air only.

  • A passenger collapses and isn’t responding, 30 miles from your destination; there’s an airport 8 miles away. What do you do?

    Sound decision: Declare an emergency, descend promptly toward the nearer airport, and ask ATC to have medical help meet you.

  • You start the descent and realize you haven’t looked below. Why does that matter?

    Sound decision: You’re descending quickly through other traffic’s altitudes. Clear below in the bank, and keep scanning.

5 · Common student errors

  • Diving with power on.

    Why it matters: Airspeed builds past the limits and the structure is at risk.

    How to correct it: Power to idle first, then pitch for the POH speed.

  • Forgetting gear and flap speed limits.

    Why it matters: Extending above VLE or VFE can damage them.

    How to correct it: Configure only within limits.

  • Leveling off abruptly.

    Why it matters: A sharp pull at high speed overstresses the airplane.

    How to correct it: Lead the level-off and raise the nose smoothly.

6 · Completion standard

  • Bank between 30° and 45° to keep positive load factors during the descent.
  • Maintain the appropriate airspeed +0/-10 knots and level off at the specified altitude ±100 feet.
  • Your student answers each "Ask your student" question in their own words, up to the Apply level, without prompting.
  • They talk through the scenarios and reach a safe, legal decision, explaining why.
  • They complete the pack’s quick check and can say what they flagged.

Area trained? Close out with a practice oral focused on PA.IX.A: pilotprep.pro/exam?exam=PPL&focus=PA.IX.A

7 · References

  • Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures; Upset Prevention and Recovery
  • Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aerodynamics of Flight; Flight Instruments; Aircraft Systems
  • Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures
  • 14 CFR Part 91, 91.3, 91.205, 91.207
  • Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), Areas VII and IX
  • Your airplane's POH/AFM, Section 3, Emergency Procedures
  • Airman Certification Standards, task PA.IX.A

PilotPrep instructor lesson plan, from the Emergency Descent lesson (checked against current FAA sources 2026-11-12). A study and teaching aid, not FAA guidance; teach to your own judgment and the current ACS.