Failed Your FAA Checkride? Here's Exactly What Happens and What to Do Next

What happens after failing an FAA checkride. Covers the Notice of Disapproval process, 60-day retest window, required additional training, retaking only failed areas, and how to study smarter the second time.

April 2026·7 min read read·Faraim Editorial

KEY POINT

Failing a checkride isn't the end — it happens to more pilots than most admit. Here's exactly what the process looks like, what your rights are, and how to come back stronger the second time.

The FAA doesn't publish checkride failure rates, but industry estimates suggest 20-30% of applicants don't pass on their first attempt. If you fail, you're in good company — and the path back to the checkride is well-defined. Here's what happens and what to do.

The Notice of Disapproval

When a DPE determines that an applicant does not meet the requirements for a certificate or rating, they issue FAA Form 8060-5, Notice of Disapproval. This document identifies the specific Areas of Operation and tasks where deficiencies were found. It is not a permanent record in your file in the way a violation would be — it's an administrative document that tracks your testing history.

Your Rights After a Disapproval

You may retake only the areas where deficiencies were found — you don't have to redo the entire test
You have 60 calendar days from the date of the Notice of Disapproval to complete the retest
After 60 days, the Notice of Disapproval is no longer valid as the basis for a retest and the entire practical test must be taken again
You may use a different DPE for the retest
Your passing knowledge test score remains valid (no need to retest)

Required Additional Training

Before retesting, you must receive additional training and an endorsement from an authorized instructor on the areas of deficiency identified in the Notice of Disapproval. Under §61.49, the instructor must endorse your logbook certifying that you have received training in those specific areas and are competent to pass the test.

Common Reasons for Checkride Failure

Oral exam: Gaps in regulatory knowledge, especially VFR minimums, airspace, and aircraft documents
Weight and balance: Math errors or incorrect chart interpolation
Weather: Not knowing how to read a METAR, TAF, or winds aloft forecast
Maneuvers: Exceeding ACS tolerances on steep turns, slow flight, or stalls
Landings: Not meeting short-field or soft-field standards consistently
Emergency procedures: Poor checklist use, inadequate emergency landing site selection
Judgment: Making decisions the DPE flags as unsafe or contrary to standards

How to Study Smarter the Second Time

Get your Notice of Disapproval and study exactly those areas — not everything
Have your CFI simulate the DPE's specific questions and scenario from the failed area
Use FARAIM.US to research the exact regulations you struggled with and get cited answers
Practice the failed maneuvers until you exceed ACS tolerances consistently, not just barely meet them
Record yourself during practice flights — video of maneuvers reveals errors that instructors on board sometimes can't see
Take a mock oral with a different CFI than your training instructor — fresh eyes catch gaps

The Psychological Recovery

Failing a checkride stings. It's worth acknowledging that before jumping back into training. Most pilots report that the second attempt feels entirely different — less anxiety, more confidence, because you've already been through the process and know what to expect.

Talk to other pilots. Nearly everyone who has been flying for more than a decade knows someone who failed a checkride on the first attempt, including many excellent aviators and professional pilots. It is not a mark against your future as a pilot.

The Notice of Disapproval is never public and doesn't appear on your permanent FAA airman record the way a violation would. Future employers will not see it unless you disclose it.