Private pilot · ACS PA.VI.D
Lost Procedures
Every pilot becomes unsure of their position at some point: a missed checkpoint, a failed GPS, a turn to avoid weather.
Lost procedures are a calm, step-by-step way to find out where you are, and to get help before the situation gets worse.
Why this one matters
Being lost is not dangerous on its own; running out of fuel, flying into clouds or terrain, or busting airspace while lost is. Pilots get into trouble when embarrassment stops them from asking for help, or when they wander and burn fuel. A calm, methodical plan turns being lost into a few uncomfortable minutes.
Can’t miss
- •Fly the airplane first: hold a steady heading and altitude, and don’t wander looking for landmarks.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- •Climb as necessary: you’ll see farther and get better radio and navigation reception, but only while staying VFR and clear of cloud, out of airspace that needs a clearance or contact you don't have, clear of terrain and obstacles, and when the fuel cost is worth it.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation; Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VI.D.S2)
- •Start from the last known position and time: heading, groundspeed and elapsed time give an estimated position.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- •Use every tool: GPS, VOR cross-bearings, prominent landmarks, and ATC radar.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- •The Five Cs, after flying the airplane: Climb, Communicate, Confess, Comply, Conserve. Ask for help early on a frequency you're already using, a charted ATC frequency, or Flight Service (122.2); use 121.5 only when you can't reach anyone or it becomes threatening.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation; AIM 6-1-2)
- •Don’t wait to declare an emergency if fuel, weather or daylight is running out.(AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures)
- •Keep track of fuel and daylight; if both are short, a precautionary landing at any suitable airport is better than pressing on.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))
What you should know
Finding your position K1 · R3
- Recorded times over checkpoints are your lifeline: from the last known point, your heading, groundspeed and elapsed time give a circle of probable position.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- Look for large, unmistakable features: a lake, a highway interchange, a river bend, a city, then match them to the chart, not the other way round.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- Use GPS if it’s working. With VORs: tune and identify each station by Morse code or voice (never use one you can't identify), center the needle with a FROM flag to read the radial you're on, plot it from the station, and cross two radials at a good angle (not nearly parallel). Check the fix against your dead-reckoning estimate and a landmark before you trust it.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation; AIM 1-1-3)
- Conserve: reduce power toward the POH best-endurance setting and lean as the POH allows. Know the 91.151 numbers: 30 minutes of fuel by day is already the reserve, so with that left, declare an emergency and land at the nearest suitable airport rather than keep searching.(PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation; 14 CFR 91.151(a))
Getting help K2 · R4
- Confess and give them what they need: your call sign, "student pilot" if you are one, your last known position and time, heading, altitude, fuel remaining and persons on board. Then comply with their instructions, as pilot in command.(AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures; PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- A radar facility can vector you only if you can talk to it and you're in radar coverage. Its guidance is advisory: it doesn't authorize breaking a rule, and safe flight stays your responsibility. If you aren't instrument rated, say so, and say you're in VFR conditions; refuse any vector into cloud, and pick a VFR landing or declare distress instead.(AIM 6-2-1)
- Other help: Flight Service on 122.2 or a remote communications outlet shown on the chart, and direction-finding (DF) steers from some facilities when radar can't see you, using just your radio transmissions.(AIM 6-2-3; PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation)
- If you can’t reach anyone, use 121.5 MHz. Doubt about your position is an urgency condition ("PAN-PAN"); distress is "MAYDAY". Squawk 7700 only for distress or urgency when you want to alert radar, then make contact; for ordinary help, expect ATC to give you a discrete code to identify you.(AIM 6-1-2; 6-2-2)
- Declare an emergency when fuel, weather, daylight or your own state is getting worse. You get priority. If you were given priority, ATC may ask for a detailed report, which you must file within the time they set.(AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures; 14 CFR 91.123(d))
Keeping safe while you work it out R1 · R2
- Being lost makes you stare at the chart and the GPS. Keep scanning for traffic and terrain, and keep the airplane level and trimmed.(AC 90-48, Pilots' Role in Collision Avoidance)
- Stress narrows attention. Slow down: fly the airplane, then use a checklist approach to position, then decide.(Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A))
On the flight
ACS standards
- Use an appropriate method to find your position, maintain an appropriate heading and climb as necessary, and select an appropriate course of action.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.VI.D.S1-S2, S5)
What your instructor is watching for
Your instructor watches whether you stay calm, keep the airplane under control, climb when it helps, use the tools in a logical order, and ask ATC for help without hesitating.
Scenarios
Decide what you would do first, then see the worked answer.
After deviating around a rain shower you’re unsure of your position, with an hour of fuel and 40 minutes until sunset.
What’s your plan? See the worked answer
Don't turn on a guess. Hold a steady heading clear of the shower and note the time; work out a probable position from your last checkpoint, heading, groundspeed and the time spent deviating; climb if the weather allows; fix your position with GPS or two VOR radials; and call ATC now. Turn only once you know which way to go. With daylight short, plan to land at the nearest suitable airport rather than continuing.
Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A)
You’re embarrassed to call ATC because you’re a student pilot.
Should you call? See the worked answer
Yes. Controllers help lost pilots routinely, and a call early is far better than an emergency later. Say you’re a student pilot: they’ll keep it simple.
AIM, Chapter 6, Emergency Procedures
You see a large lake ahead and find three lakes of similar size on the chart.
How do you confirm which one it is? See the worked answer
Check its shape, the roads and towns around it, and which one fits your estimated position from the last checkpoint and time. Confirm with a second feature before trusting it.
PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Navigation
Common mistakes
Wandering in circles looking for a landmark.
It burns fuel and destroys your dead reckoning.
Instead: Hold a heading, and work from your last known position.
Waiting too long to ask for help.
Fuel, daylight and weather options shrink while you hesitate.
Instead: Call ATC as soon as you are unsure and can’t resolve it quickly.
Forcing the ground to match the chart.
You convince yourself a landmark is the one you want.
Instead: Go from the ground to the chart, and confirm with a second feature.
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 lost procedures out loud with our examiner.
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Teaching this? The instructor lesson plan →
Sources
- Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C): Navigation; Flight Instruments
- Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM): Chapters 1, 4, 6 and 7
- 14 CFR Part 91: 91.3, 91.119, 91.123, 91.151, 91.159, 91.171, 91.215, 91.225
- AC 90-48: Pilots' Role in Collision Avoidance
- Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C): Area VI
- VFR sectional chart and Chart Supplement: for your route
Study aid, not FAA guidance. Regulations change; check the current text at eCFR and the ACS. Checked against current sources 2026-11-12.