Instrument Rating · Area IV: Flight by Reference to Instruments
Task B. Recovery from Unusual Flight Attitudes
FAA-S-ACS-8C · Effective 2024-05-31
Knowledge
What you should understand and be able to explain.
- IR.IV.B.K1Procedures for recovery from unusual attitudes in flight.
- IR.IV.B.K2Prevention of unusual attitudes, including flight causal, physiological, and environmental factors, and system and equipment failures.
- IR.IV.B.K3Procedures available to safely regain visual meteorological conditions (VMC) after flight into inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions or unintended instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC)/(UIMC).
- IR.IV.B.K4Appropriate use of automation, if applicable.
Risk management
Risks to recognize and decisions to consider.
- IR.IV.B.R1Situations 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).
- IR.IV.B.R3Operating envelope considerations.
- IR.IV.B.R4Interpreting flight instruments.
- IR.IV.B.R5Assessment of the unusual attitude.
- IR.IV.B.R6Control input errors, inducing undesired aircraft attitudes.
- IR.IV.B.R7Control application solely by reference to instruments.
- IR.IV.B.R8Collision hazards.
- IR.IV.B.R9Distractions, task prioritization, loss of situational awareness, or disorientation.
Skill elements and task objectives
This page covers knowledge and risk management. For the complete task, including skill standards, open the FAA document (PDF).