Flight Instructor Airplane · Area XI: Basic Instrument Maneuvers

Task E. Recovery from Unusual Flight Attitudes

FAA-S-ACS-25 · Effective 2024-05-31

Knowledge

What you should understand and be able to explain.

5 elements
  • AI.XI.E.K1
    Prevention of unusual attitudes, including flight causal, physiological, and environmental factors, and system and equipment failures.
  • AI.XI.E.K2
    Procedures for recovery from unusual attitudes in flight.
  • AI.XI.E.K3
    Procedures available to safely regain visual meteorological conditions (VMC) after flight into inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions or unintended instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC)/(UIMC).
  • AI.XI.E.K4
    Appropriate use of automation, if applicable.
  • AI.XI.E.K5
    Common errors related to this Task.

Risk management

Risks to recognize and decisions to consider.

8 elements
  • AI.XI.E.R1
    Situations that could lead to loss of control in-flight (LOC-I) or unusual attitudes in-flight (e.g., stress, task saturation, inadequate instrument scan distractions, and spatial disorientation).
  • AI.XI.E.R2
    Assessment of the unusual attitude.
  • AI.XI.E.R3
    Control input errors, inducing undesired aircraft attitudes.
  • AI.XI.E.R4
    Collision hazards.
  • AI.XI.E.R5
    Distractions, task prioritization, loss of situational awareness, or disorientation.
  • AI.XI.E.R6
    Interpreting flight instruments.
  • AI.XI.E.R7
    Control application solely by reference to instruments.
  • AI.XI.E.R8
    Operating envelope considerations.
Skill elements and task objectives

This page covers knowledge and risk management. For the complete task, including skill standards, open the FAA document (PDF).