Commercial pilot · ACS CA.IX.A
Emergency Descent
An emergency descent gets the airplane down as fast as is safely possible, within its limits, with a landing planned on the way.
Why this one matters
Fire and smoke leave minutes; a decompression leaves seconds of useful consciousness. A commercial pilot needs to get down quickly without overstressing the airplane, losing control or colliding with traffic, while managing passengers and ATC.
Can’t miss
- •Each cause has its own first actions. Depressurization: oxygen masks on first (100%), talk to the passengers, then descend promptly to about 10,000 feet or the minimum safe altitude. Engine fire: starve it first (mixture idle cutoff, fuel selector off) per the POH, then descend and land as soon as possible. Smoke: the POH checklist, then descend and land. Useful consciousness depends on altitude: about 3 to 5 minutes at 25,000 feet, 30 to 60 seconds at 35,000, less after a rapid decompression.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures; AIM 8-1-2; AC 61-107, Aircraft Operations at Altitudes Above 25,000 Feet MSL and/or Mach Numbers Greater Than .75)
- •Power to idle (propeller forward if controllable), roll into a 30-45° bank to keep a positive load factor, and set the POH speed and configuration.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures; Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IX.A.S4)
- •Fly the POH emergency-descent speed: the maximum allowable for the configuration (it may be VNE clean in smooth air, or VLE or VFE configured). In turbulence, slow to VA for the current weight (lower when lighter) or the POH turbulence speed, never above VNE, VLE or VFE. VNO is only the top of the green arc, for smooth air.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
- •Clear below before and during the descent; you're descending through other traffic.(AC 90-48, Pilots' Role in Collision Avoidance)
- •Pick where you're going on the way down: the nearest suitable airport, with wind, terrain and glide distance in mind.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
- •Commercial standard: clear the area (S1); POH airspeed and configuration (S2); keep oriented and plan a smooth recovery (S3); bank 30-45° (S4); airspeed +0/-10 knots and level off ±100 feet (S5); checklists (S6); SRM (S7).(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IX.A.S1-S7)
- •Declare on the frequency you're on and squawk 7700; use 121.5 MHz only if you aren't talking to ATC.(AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures)
What you should know
When and how K1 · K2
- Engine or cabin fire and smoke: descend and land as soon as possible. Decompression in a pressurized airplane: masks, then descend promptly to about 10,000 feet or the minimum safe altitude, then divert as needed. A critical medical problem: declare and divert to the nearest suitable airport, expedited, which isn't necessarily a maximum-rate descent.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
- Technique: clear first, looking below in the turn for traffic and a landing area; throttle idle, propeller forward, then roll into a 30-45° bank as the nose comes down so the load factor stays positive (no pushover); gear and flaps as the POH says; coordinated. The bank raises the stall speed and a spiral can build speed fast, so divide your attention. Level off by leading it about 10% of the descent rate, raising the nose smoothly.(Your airplane's POH/AFM; Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
Speeds and performance K3 · K4 · R3
- The POH gives the speed: the maximum allowable for the configuration (VNE clean in smooth air, or VLE with the gear down). Know the number for your checkride airplane. In turbulence, slow to VA for your weight or the POH turbulence penetration speed.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
- With an engine fire, starve it first by the POH checklist (mixture idle cutoff, fuel selector off, fuel pump off), then descend and land as soon as possible. A faster descent may blow out the fire, but the fire may have weakened the structure, so a slower descent puts less stress on it; your POH decides. Never restart an engine whose fire appeared to go out. In a complex airplane, extending the gear (within VLE) adds drag and steepens the descent.(Your airplane's POH/AFM; Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Transition to Complex and High-Performance Airplanes)
- In training only: end the practice descent once it's established and stable, and avoid long practice descents that overcool a piston engine. Never let that delay a real emergency descent.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Transition to Complex and High-Performance Airplanes)
Where you're going R1 · R2
- Use the GPS nearest function and the chart to pick a suitable airport early; consider wind, terrain, obstacles and runway length.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
- Clear below in the bank, and keep scanning on the way down.(AC 90-48, Pilots' Role in Collision Avoidance)
Staying ahead R4
- Fly the airplane first. Then the checklist, then communicate: tell ATC, squawk 7700 if needed. Divide attention between the emergency and the airplane.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
On the flight
ACS standards
- The POH speed and configuration for the scenario (S2); bank between 30° and 45° to keep positive load factors (S4).(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IX.A.S2, S4)
- Airspeed +0/-10 knots; level off at the specified altitude ±100 feet; complete the checklists.(Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B), CA.IX.A.S5-S6)
What your instructor is watching for
Your instructor watches for clearing, a prompt power reduction and bank, the POH speed and configuration within limits, divided attention, a planned landing area, a smooth level-off, and the checklist.
Scenarios
Decide what you would do first, then see the worked answer.
In the descent you enter moderate turbulence at VLE with the gear down.
What do you do? See the worked answer
Slow to VA for your current weight (or the POH turbulence speed), never above VLE, keep the bank, and continue. VNO is a smooth-air limit, not a turbulence speed.
Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures
A passenger has a medical emergency 40 nm from destination; an airport is 10 nm away.
What do you do? See the worked answer
Declare and divert to the nearer airport with an expedited descent (not necessarily a maximum-rate emergency descent), and ask ATC to have medical help meet you.
AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures
You level off and pull sharply at high speed.
What's the risk? See the worked answer
Overstressing the airplane; lead the level-off and raise the nose smoothly.
Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures
Common mistakes
Diving with power on.
Airspeed builds past limits.
Instead: Power to idle first.
Extending gear or flaps above limits.
Damage to gear or flaps.
Instead: Only within VLE and VFE.
Not clearing below.
You descend through traffic.
Instead: Look below in the bank.
Now train it
Say it out loud, hear it asked, and take the quick check in this lesson’s practice pack. It tracks your shaky spots.
Got it?
When it feels solid, practice emergency descent out loud with our examiner.
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Go to the source (free)
Teaching this? The instructor lesson plan →
Sources
- Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C): Emergency Procedures
- Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C): Aircraft Systems; Flight Instruments
- Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM): Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures
- 14 CFR Part 91: 91.3, 91.205, 91.207
- Commercial Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-7B): Area IX
- Your airplane's POH/AFM: Emergency Procedures
Study aid, not FAA guidance. Regulations change; check the current text at eCFR and the ACS. Checked against current sources 2026-11-13.