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Private pilot · ACS PA.IX.A · lesson pack

Emergency Descent

Why this one matters

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.

1 · Know these cold

  • •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)

2 · The lesson

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)

Want it all on one page, with scenarios? Read the full lesson.

On the flight

ACS standards

  • Bank between 30° and 45° to keep positive load factors during the descent.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.IX.A.S4)
  • Maintain the appropriate airspeed +0/-10 knots and level off at the specified altitude ±100 feet.(Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), PA.IX.A.S5)

What your instructor is watching for

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.

3 · Say it out loud

Answer each one out loud, then check yourself and mark how it went.

  1. Remember Recall it

    “Name three situations that need an emergency descent.”

  2. Understand Explain why

    “Why bank 30 to 45 degrees in an emergency descent?”

  3. Apply Use it on a flight

    “You smell smoke at 7,500 feet. Walk me through it.”

4 · Common mistakes

  • Diving with power on.

    Airspeed builds past the limits and the structure is at risk.

    Instead: Power to idle first, then pitch for the POH speed.

  • Forgetting gear and flap speed limits.

    Extending above VLE or VFE can damage them.

    Instead: Configure only within limits.

  • Leveling off abruptly.

    A sharp pull at high speed overstresses the airplane.

    Instead: Lead the level-off and raise the nose smoothly.

5 · Quick check

Answer, then reveal. Flag anything you want to see again.

  1. 1. What bank angle is used in an emergency descent on the checkride?

  2. 2. What speed applies in turbulence?

  3. 3. What are the checkride tolerances?

  4. 4. What transponder code do you use in an emergency?

  5. 5. Why clear the area below before descending?

  6. Scenario6. Engine fire in flight. What does the POH usually call for?

Trained it? Now prove it: practice emergency descent out loud with our examiner.

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Connect it

One situation that runs across this lesson and its neighbors in the same ACS area. Decide first, then check.

Connect it · Emergency Operations

At 4,500 feet AGL over rough country, oil pressure is dropping and oil temperature rising. The engine still runs.

How do the malfunction, the landing decision and your survival gear connect? Decide, then see the worked answer

Know the split. Low oil pressure alone, with normal temperature, can be a gauge problem: watch the temperature and land at the nearest airport to have it checked. Falling pressure with rising temperature means the engine may be losing its oil and could fail soon: land as soon as possible, while you still have power and height. Reduce power to the minimum you need to reach your chosen spot, to ease the load on the engine. Pick the nearest suitable airport or the best field within glide, and prepare for a power-off landing. Aviate and navigate first, then run the POH checklist and communicate: squawk 7700 and declare the emergency on the frequency you're using, with your position; use 121.5 only if you aren't talking to anyone. If the engine fails, fly best glide to the field you already picked. Know where the survival gear is and that the ELT is armed, because rough country means help can take time.

AFH (FAA-H-8083-3C), Emergency Procedures; PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C), Aircraft Systems; AIM 6-3-1

Brings together: Emergency Approach and Landing (Simulated) · Systems and Equipment Malfunctions · Emergency Equipment and Survival Gear

Teaching this? The instructor lesson plan →

Study aid, not FAA guidance. Sources: Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C); Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C); Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM); 14 CFR Part 91; Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C); Your airplane's POH/AFM. Checked against current sources 2026-11-12.