Private pilot · ACS PA.IX.D
Emergency Equipment and Survival Gear
This task covers what’s on board to help you in an emergency, and what you should add for where you’re flying.
It also covers telling your passengers how to use it.
Why this one matters
After a forced landing, getting found and staying alive can take hours or days. An ELT that works, gear suited to the terrain and season, and passengers who know how to help can make the difference. Pilots who think about this before departure survive situations that catch others unprepared.
Can’t miss
- •The ELT must be inspected every 12 calendar months, and its battery replaced after 1 cumulative hour of use or when half its useful life has passed.(14 CFR 91.207)
- •Test an ELT per the manufacturer's instructions, preferably in a shielded room or test container; only if that isn't possible may an analog (121.5/243 MHz) ELT be tested in the first 5 minutes after the hour, for no more than three audible sweeps (coordinate any other time with the nearest tower or Flight Service). Test a 406 MHz ELT only per its manufacturer's instructions, and never test in the air. Check 121.5 MHz afterward for an accidental activation.(AIM 6-2-4)
- •406 MHz ELTs are detected by satellites and identify the airplane, but only if registered with NOAA and kept current. They also send a 121.5 MHz homing signal: satellites stopped monitoring 121.5 in 2009, but ATC and overflying aircraft can still hear it. Automatic activation only works with the switch in ARMED.(AIM 6-2-4)
- •Know your fire extinguisher: where it is, how to use it, and to ventilate the cabin afterward, as its label and the POH direct.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
- •Carry survival gear for the terrain and climate you fly over: water, clothing and shelter for 48 to 72 hours.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.IX.D.R1)
- •Brief passengers before every flight: how to fasten and unfasten the belts and harnesses, and to fasten them for taxi, takeoff and landing (91.107), plus how the doors and exits work and where and how to use the extinguisher, ELT and survival or flotation gear.(14 CFR 91.107(a)(1)-(2))
- •If your airplane has a ballistic parachute or emergency autoland, know the POH criteria for using it and brief passengers on how.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
What you should know
The ELT K1
- An ELT activates on impact (or manually) and transmits a distress signal. 406 MHz units are detected by the Cospas-Sarsat satellites and carry the airplane’s identity; satellites stopped monitoring 121.5 MHz in 2009, though ATC and overflying aircraft can still hear its homing signal. The 406 MHz identity only reaches rescuers if the ELT is registered with NOAA and kept current.(AIM 6-2-4)
- It only activates automatically if the switch is in ARMED: check that on preflight, know where the panel remote switch is, how to activate it manually, and how to switch it off after an accidental activation.(14 CFR 91.207; AIM 6-2-4)
- Required ELTs must be inspected every 12 calendar months, and the battery replaced after 1 cumulative hour of use or at 50% of its useful life. The inspection checks the installation, battery corrosion, the controls and crash sensor, and that enough signal radiates from the antenna.(14 CFR 91.207(c)-(d))
- Test an ELT per the manufacturer's instructions, preferably in a shielded room or test container; only if that isn't possible may an analog (121.5/243 MHz) ELT be tested in the first 5 minutes after the hour, for no more than three audible sweeps (coordinate any other time with the nearest tower or Flight Service). Test a 406 MHz ELT only per its manufacturer's instructions, and never test in the air. After landing, listen on 121.5 MHz to make sure your ELT isn’t transmitting.(AIM 6-2-4)
Fire extinguisher K2
- Know where the extinguisher is and how to use it: PASS (Pull the pin, Aim at the base, Squeeze, Sweep side to side). It's for a small, reachable fire just starting, with only a few seconds of discharge and short range; then land or evacuate per the POH. Many cockpit extinguishers are Halon or a replacement agent; ventilate the cabin afterward as the label and POH say.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
- Preflight it per its label and the POH: pin and seal, access and mounting, inspection tag, and the gauge if it has one (some approved Halon or blend units have none and are checked by weight). A red gauge means don't rely on it: service or replace it. Whether you can go without it is a POH/KOEL required-equipment question, or a prudent risk decision.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
Survival gear K3 · R1
- Pack for the terrain and season: water, warm clothing, shelter, a signaling device (mirror, whistle, flashlight), a first-aid kit and a way to start a fire.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
- Mountains: cold nights even in summer, and slower rescue. Desert: water above everything. Overwater: life vests within reach, and a raft for long crossings.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
- Plan for 48 to 72 hours before rescue, and file a flight plan so someone knows when to start looking.(AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures)
- The first survival rule: stay with the airplane. It's easier to find than a person walking, gives shelter and signaling material, and searchers follow your planned route; walking away defeats the flight plan and the ELT.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))
- Ditching: put the life vests on before you ditch, but don't inflate them until you're outside the airplane (by the tab or the oral tube); an inflated vest in a flooding cabin can trap you or block the exit.(Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures)
Parachutes and autoland K4 · K5 · R2 · R3
- A ballistic airframe parachute is used when the POH criteria are met, for example loss of control, structural failure, or an engine failure with no safe landing area. Brief passengers on how to deploy it if you can’t.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
- An emergency autoland system can land the airplane if the pilot is incapacitated. Brief passengers where the button is and when to press it.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
- Know the minimum altitude and speed limits for deployment or activation, and the passenger seating and bracing it expects.(Your airplane's POH/AFM)
Scenarios
Decide what you would do first, then see the worked answer.
After landing, you tune 121.5 MHz and hear a warbling tone.
What could it be, and what do you do? See the worked answer
Possibly your ELT activated on a hard landing. Check yours and switch it off if it’s transmitting, and tell ATC or Flight Service so they don’t start a search.
AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures
You’re taking a friend on a flight over a large lake.
What do you brief and carry? See the worked answer
Life vests within reach, how to put them on (and not to inflate them until outside the airplane), door operation, and what to do in a ditching. Fly high enough to glide to shore if you can.
Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures
Your preflight finds the extinguisher gauge in the red.
Do you go? See the worked answer
Have it serviced or replaced first. It’s safety equipment your passengers rely on.
Your airplane's POH/AFM
Common mistakes
Testing the ELT any time, any way.
An uncoordinated live test can trigger a search.
Instead: Test per the manufacturer, preferably in a shielded room; an analog ELT only in the first 5 minutes after the hour, three sweeps at most; a 406 MHz unit only per its manufacturer; never in the air.
Packing gear for the departure airport, not the route.
The terrain and weather en route are what you’d survive in.
Instead: Pack for the worst place along the route.
Skipping the passenger briefing.
Passengers who don’t know where things are can’t help.
Instead: Brief every flight, including the extinguisher and gear.
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 equipment and survival gear out loud with our examiner.
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Sources
- 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
Study aid, not FAA guidance. Regulations change; check the current text at eCFR and the ACS. Checked against current sources 2026-11-12.