Emergency procedures — Part 107 practice questions

14 practice questions on emergency procedures from the FAA remote pilot knowledge test, each with the correct answer and why it is correct.

1. 01

   What is a key responsibility of a remote pilot before flight?

   • Maximizing flight time regardless of conditions
   • Ensuring the aircraft is in a safe operating conditionCorrect
   • Minimizing pre-flight checks to save time
   • Delegating all safety checks to ground crew
   Why

   Ensuring the aircraft is in a condition for safe operation. It is the one duty that cannot be delegated to a crew member or traded against time pressure, and it is where most in-flight emergencies are actually prevented — before anything is airborne.

2. 02

   What should a remote pilot do if irregularities are found during a preflight inspection?

   • Proceed with the flight and address issues later
   • Note the issues but continue with the operation
   • Correct the irregularities before operating the small UACorrect
   • Consult with other pilots about the severity of the issues
   Why

   Correct them before flying. The inspection has value only if its findings block the flight; noting an irregularity and launching anyway converts a preflight check into a record of what went wrong afterwards.

3. 03

   In the event of a battery fire during flight, what action might a remote pilot need to take?

   • Immediately land the UA regardless of location
   • Continue the flight as planned
   • Climb above 400' AGL to maneuver to a safe landing areaCorrect
   • Shut off all power to the UA mid-flight
   Why

   Climbing above 400 feet AGL to reach a safe landing area is exactly the kind of deviation 107.21 permits — the altitude limit yields to the emergency. Cutting power mid-flight simply drops a burning aircraft on whatever is below, and landing immediately regardless of location may put the fire into a crowd or dry brush.

4. 04

   In the event of an inflight emergency, what is a remote pilot permitted to do regarding 14 CFR part 107 rules?

   • Strictly adhere to all rules regardless of the emergency
   • Deviate from any part of the rules to respond to the emergencyCorrect
   • Only deviate from rules after obtaining FAA permission
   • Ignore all rules until the emergency is over
   Why

   Deviate from any rule of part 107 to the extent the emergency requires. The authority is immediate and needs no prior permission — waiting for approval would defeat a provision written for events demanding action now — but it is bounded by necessity rather than being a suspension of the rules.

5. 05

   Who must be briefed on planned emergency procedures before a flight?

   • Only the remote pilot
   • All crew members, including visual observers and non-certificated persons manipulating controlsCorrect
   • FAA officials only
   • Only certificated pilots
   Why

   Everyone involved — visual observers and non-certificated persons manipulating the controls included. The briefing has to reach whoever will need to act, and certification status has no bearing on whether someone is standing in the middle of the operation when it goes wrong.

6. 06

   Where can additional information about emergency procedures for small UA operations be found?

   • Only in the manufacturer's manual
   • In 14 CFR part 107 and AC 107-2Correct
   • Exclusively in online forums
   • In the local airport's guidelines
   Why

   14 CFR part 107 and AC 107-2 — the rule and its advisory circular. The manufacturer's manual covers the aircraft rather than the operation, and it is the pairing of regulation with FAA guidance that carries the practical detail on emergency planning.

7. 07

   A small unmanned aircraft loses GPS reception in flight. What is the most likely immediate effect?

   • The aircraft may drift with the wind and position-holding features may become unreliableCorrect
   • The control link is lost and the aircraft will land immediately
   • The aircraft's maximum altitude is automatically reduced to 400 feet AGL
   • The motors shut down to prevent an uncontrolled flyaway
   Why

   GPS feeds position holding, not propulsion or the control link. Losing it typically drops the aircraft into an attitude-only mode where it drifts with the wind and holds station poorly, while still answering the sticks. The motors do not stop and the link is unaffected, which is why the failure can go unnoticed until the aircraft is somewhere unintended.

8. 08

   How far may a remote pilot in command deviate from part 107 during an in-flight emergency?

   • Only to the extent necessary to meet the emergencyCorrect
   • Without limit, until the aircraft is on the ground
   • Only within the limits of a pre-issued certificate of waiver
   • Only with prior approval from Air Traffic Control
   Why

   107.21 grants exactly as much latitude as the emergency requires and no more. The authority is broad in scope — any rule of the part — but narrow in degree, and it is self-executing: waiting for a waiver or for ATC approval would defeat the purpose of a provision written for situations demanding immediate action.

9. 09

   A small unmanned aircraft stops responding to control inputs and flies away from the operating site. What should the remote pilot in command do first?

   • Take action to protect people and other aircraft in the aircraft's path, including alerting anyone at riskCorrect
   • Immediately power off the control station to conserve its battery
   • Wait until the aircraft's battery is exhausted before taking any action
   • Launch a second aircraft to follow and observe the first
   Why

   Once the aircraft no longer answers the controls, the only thing still under your control is the ground. Protecting people and other aircraft in its path — warning those at risk, and alerting ATC if it is heading for controlled airspace — is what 107.19(c) makes the pilot responsible for. Powering off the control station only removes the chance that the link returns.

10. 10

    What characterizes a suitable emergency landing site chosen during preflight planning?

    • It is clear of people and property and reachable from the planned flight areaCorrect
    • It is the nearest paved surface, regardless of who is on it
    • It is directly beneath the highest point of the planned route
    • It is within the boundary of the nearest airport
    Why

    The site has to be both safe and reachable: clear of people and property, and within the endurance remaining when it is needed. Nearest is not a criterion — a paved surface with people on it is a worse outcome than open ground further away — and an airport is generally the last place to put an uncommanded aircraft down.

11. 11

    Why should a remote pilot know the aircraft's programmed lost link behaviour before flight?

    • So the area the aircraft will fly to or land in can be assessed and kept clear beforehandCorrect
    • So the lost link event does not have to be reported to the FAA
    • So the control link can be re-established from a second control station
    • So the aircraft can be flown beyond visual line of sight once the behaviour is known
    Why

    Because the behaviour is decided by the manufacturer in advance and executes without you. Knowing whether the aircraft will hover, return to its launch point, or land where it stands is what lets you keep that path and that ground clear — which is how 107.19(c)'s duty to pose no undue hazard on loss of control is actually discharged.

12. 12

    A small unmanned aircraft strikes a bystander, who is knocked unconscious. What reporting is required?

    • A report to the FAA within 10 calendar days, because a loss of consciousness occurredCorrect
    • No report, because no property was damaged
    • A report only if the bystander requires hospitalization
    • A report to Air Traffic Control before the next flight
    Why

    107.9 has two independent triggers, and this meets the injury one: any loss of consciousness requires a report within 10 calendar days, irrespective of property damage. Hospitalization is not the test, and the report is owed to the FAA rather than to ATC.

13. 13

    A remote pilot notices that a lithium battery pack has swollen since its last use. What is the appropriate action?

    • Remove the battery from service and do not fly itCorrect
    • Fly it once more at reduced power to discharge it safely in flight
    • Charge it fully, since swelling indicates a low state of charge
    • Continue using it until the flight time noticeably decreases
    Why

    Swelling is gas from internal breakdown, and it is one of the recognized precursors to a lithium fire — along with punctures, physical damage, overcharging and overheating. It is a one-way change, so there is no safe last flight and no charge cycle that reverses it. The pack comes out of service.

14. 14

    When should a crew be briefed on emergency procedures for an operation?

    • Before the operation beginsCorrect
    • Only after an emergency has occurred
    • At the midpoint of the flight, when workload is lowest
    • Only when a visual observer is being used
    Why

    Before it begins, because the briefing exists to remove decisions from the moment they would otherwise have to be improvised. A crew that first discusses the emergency landing site while an aircraft is descending towards it has already lost the time the briefing was meant to buy.