Failed an instrument rating checkride? Learn what the FAA issues, what you must retrain, what carries over and how the retest works.
If you fail an FAA instrument rating checkride, you do not receive the rating. The examiner issues a Notice of Disapproval listing failed and untested areas. You must receive corrective training, obtain a fresh instructor endorsement and pass a retest; your existing pilot certificate is not automatically suspended or revoked.
In our Aviation & Real-World Flying coverage, “checkride” means the US FAA practical test. Other aviation authorities use different paperwork and retest rules, although the basic process is similar.
What happens immediately after a failed instrument checkride?
The examiner records the practical test as unsatisfactory and gives you a Notice of Disapproval. It identifies the Areas of Operation or Tasks that were failed and those that were not tested.
A failure can occur during the oral examination, so the flight portion may never begin. If an unsatisfactory item occurs in flight, the examiner may stop the test; in some circumstances the remaining items can be completed, but that is not guaranteed. Continuing does not reverse the original failure.
You keep the certificates and ratings you already hold. For someone attempting an initial airplane instrument rating, this means remaining limited to existing privileges and not acting as pilot in command under IFR.
A weather, aircraft or examiner problem is different. If the test stops for an acceptable external reason before any unsatisfactory performance, the examiner normally issues a Letter of Discontinuance, not a failure notice.
Do you have to repeat the whole instrument checkride?
Not necessarily. FAA practical-test rules give credit for successfully completed Areas of Operation if the remainder is passed within 60 calendar days of the failed test.
The retest must cover failed and untested material. The new examiner may also re-evaluate something previously passed if there is reason to question proficiency, so “partial retest” does not mean the earlier material can be forgotten. After the 60-day credit period, expect to complete the full practical test again.
Your knowledge-test report, identification, medical eligibility where required, application and original checkride endorsements must also remain valid. Expired or incomplete documents can prevent the retest from starting.
How soon can you retake a failed instrument checkride?
The FAA imposes no fixed waiting period, but you cannot retest until an authorised instructor has provided the necessary remedial training and endorsed you as proficient under 14 CFR 61.49.
- Read the Notice of Disapproval. Separate failed Tasks from those that were never tested; both groups require attention.
- Get a precise debrief. Record the manoeuvre, decision or knowledge gap that failed the standard rather than reducing it to “I was nervous” or “the examiner was strict”.
- Complete targeted training with a CFII. The instructor must correct the deficiencies and provide the required retest endorsement.
- Schedule within the credit period. Take the Notice of Disapproval, logbook endorsements and all normal practical-test documents. A designated examiner may charge another fee; retest policies vary.
- Prepare beyond the failed item. Expect the evaluator to test failed and unfinished Tasks and to revisit earlier material when necessary.
An approved simulator can make remedial sessions repeatable, especially for failures, missed approaches and abnormal instrument indications. Our explanation of how approved flight training devices are used and credited also explains why an ordinary home simulator does not automatically count as FAA training time.
What should you practise before the instrument retest?
Practise the cause of the failure under realistic workload, not just the exact manoeuvre from the Notice of Disapproval. A common mistake we see is drilling one approach until it becomes memorised while leaving the underlying scan, briefing or decision-making problem untouched.
| Failure pattern | Targeted correction |
|---|---|
| Altitude or course deviations during holds and approaches | Reduce task saturation, verbalise corrections and practise recovering promptly before the deviation becomes sustained. |
| Wrong minimum, fix or descent point | Use a consistent approach briefing and positively identify each fix before changing altitude. |
| Incorrect missed-approach procedure | Practise the climb, configuration change, navigation switch and first assigned altitude as one sequence. |
| Automation confusion | Rehearse both coupled and hand-flown approaches, including mode failures and an early decision to reduce automation. |
| Weak weather, alternate or regulatory knowledge | Work complete scenarios that require a legal decision rather than memorising isolated answers. |
For home rehearsal, a structured X-Plane 12 IFR training routine can reinforce approach briefings, holds and missed approaches, but the CFII must decide when your real-world performance is ready. Before the retest, use our instrument checkride preparation framework to check that remedial work has not displaced another required skill.
FAA record and career impact
The FAA retains the failed practical-test result, and future employers may ask about checkride history. One failure does not automatically end a professional flying career, but concealing it or blaming everyone else is far harder to explain than the failure itself.
Keep a factual account of what happened, what training corrected it and how you demonstrated proficiency on the retest. A failed initial instrument checkride is also separate from instrument currency or an instrument proficiency check: it does not make an unearned rating valid, and it does not by itself revoke a rating already held in another category or class.