Emergency descent is a maneuver you hope you never use in real life — but you have to prove you can execute it correctly under pressure. The scenario matters as much as the technique.
What the ACS Actually Requires
The ACS for emergency descent requires:
- Establish the appropriate emergency descent configuration
- Descend at the maximum safe descent rate while not exceeding Vne or Vno (as appropriate to the scenario)
- Maintain positive aircraft control throughout
- Execute the relevant emergency checklist
- Level off at a specified altitude ±100 feet
The examiner will give you a scenario — smoke in the cockpit, rapid pressurization loss (for aircraft with pressurization), or engine fire. Your response to the scenario is evaluated, not just the descent.
The Most Common Errors
- Skipping or rushing the checklist — the checklist exists to prevent you from making the emergency worse
- Exceeding Vne — in a no-flap descent, airspeed builds fast; monitor it actively
- Forgetting the scenario — you're supposed to be simulating a real emergency; fly it that way
- Poor level-off — the altitude target at the bottom of the descent is a real tolerance; don't blow through it
- Not clearing the area before starting — even in an "emergency," the check for traffic matters
How to Execute It Correctly
Scenario assumed: smoke in the cockpit
- Declare the emergency — say it out loud (examiners want to hear situational awareness)
- Identify the source if possible; silence non-essential electrical equipment
- Apply carb heat if applicable
- Reduce power to idle
- Configure per POH — in most aircraft: extend flaps (if below Vfe), lower nose to target descent rate
- Maintain Vno or as directed by the POH — typically a 2,000+ fpm descent rate
- Monitor airspeed — do not let it build past Vno in a no-flap descent
- Level off 100 feet above target to account for aircraft inertia
- Complete emergency checklist; consider landing ASAP
Why Students Fail This on Checkride Day
The most common bust is procedural, not airmanship. Students descend correctly but skip or rush the verbal checklist, or forget the scenario entirely — they're focused on flying, not on the emergency management the examiner is actually evaluating.
Checkride Ready builds the habit of pairing checklist execution with flight performance so neither suffers on the day.
Keep Training
- Go-Arounds: The Decision That Saves Your Checkride — another maneuver where the decision-making matters as much as the technique
- Checkride Day Strategy: What to Do Before You Even Touch the Controls — mental preparation that applies to emergency scenarios specifically