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

Emergency Equipment and Survival Gear

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.

1 · Know these cold

  • •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)

2 · The lesson

The ELT
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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)

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

3 · Say it out loud

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

  1. Remember Recall it

    “How often must an ELT be inspected?”

  2. Understand Explain why

    “Why does it matter whether your ELT is 406 MHz or 121.5 MHz?”

  3. Apply Use it on a flight

    “You’re planning a summer flight over the mountains. What do you bring?”

4 · 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.

5 · Quick check

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

  1. 1. When must an ELT battery be replaced?

  2. 2. When may you test an ELT?

  3. 3. Which ELT frequency do satellites detect?

  4. 4. How long should survival gear last?

  5. 5. What should every passenger briefing cover?

  6. Scenario6. You land hard on a grass strip. What should you check before leaving?

Trained it? Now prove it: practice emergency equipment and survival gear 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.