Short answer: If you fail a pilot checkride, the examiner issues a Notice of Disapproval (FAA Form 8060-5) listing exactly which task or tasks you didn’t meet the standard on; you get credit for everything you passed for 60 days, and you go back to your instructor for targeted retraining and a logbook endorsement before retesting.
It’s a documented, well-worn process, not a career-ending event, and a large share of working pilots have been through it at least once.
In this guide:
- What actually happens the moment you fail a pilot checkride
- The road back: retraining, endorsements, and the 60-day window
- What happens if you fail a pilot checkride more than once
- FAQs
What Actually Happens the Moment You Fail a Pilot Checkride?
Nobody plans for this, so let’s talk about it plainly.
You’re mid-checkride, the short-field landing goes long, or your holding entry falls apart, or you blank on airspace requirements during the oral, and the examiner tells you it wasn’t up to standard. That’s the moment. It feels enormous. Honestly, it isn’t, not in the way it feels in your stomach right then.
Here’s what’s actually happening on paper. The Designated Pilot Examiner, or in rarer cases an FAA Inspector, is required to evaluate you against the Airman Certification Standards for your certificate or rating, and when a task isn’t performed to that standard, they issue what’s officially called a Notice of Disapproval of Application, FAA Form 8060-50.
Old-timers still call it the pink slip, a nod to the paper it used to be printed on before everything went digital. It lists precisely which area of operation or task you didn’t meet the standard on.
One detail that catches people off guard. The examiner often lets you continue the rest of the checkride once a task is marked unsatisfactory, at their discretion, so you can still get credit for other maneuvers you complete successfully that day.
Fail the short-field landing but nail everything else, and your Notice of Disapproval will typically show credit for the oral exam and the remaining flight maneuvers. That credit matters a lot for what comes next.
The Road Back: Retraining, Endorsements, and the 60-Day Window
This is where the regulations actually work in your favor, and it’s worth understanding properly rather than just hearing “go retrain and try again.”
Under 14 CFR 61.49, if you fail a knowledge or practical test, you’re required to get additional training from an authorized instructor and receive a logbook endorsement stating you’re now proficient before you’re allowed to reapply.
There’s no federally mandated number of hours for that training. It’s entirely at your instructor’s discretion until they’re satisfied that you’re ready, which, in practice, might mean one focused lesson on a single maneuver or several sessions if the gaps run deeper.
The part that trips people up most is the clock. Under 61.43(f), you have 60 days from the date of the failed test to complete the retest and keep credit for the tasks you already passed. Miss that window and the credit expires, meaning you’re back to taking the entire practical test from scratch, oral and all. So the practical steps look like this:
- Take the Notice of Disapproval seriously and keep it; you’ll need to present the original document at your retest.
- Book time with your instructor specifically to work on the failed task, not a general refresher flight.
- Get the logbook endorsement once your instructor genuinely believes you’re proficient, not just willing to sign.
- Schedule the retest with the same examiner within 60 days to keep your credit for passed tasks.
- Bring the original Notice of Disapproval or Letter of Discontinuance to the retest itself, along with your usual required documents.
What Happens If You Fail a Pilot Checkride More Than Once
A second or third disapproval of the same certificate is less common, but it does happen and is worth addressing.
The mechanics don’t change. Same Form 8060-5, same 61.49 retraining requirement, same endorsement process. What usually needs to change is the training approach itself.
Repeated failures on similar tasks, say, consistently struggling with the same maneuver or oral topic, generally point to a gap that a single extra lesson isn’t closing, and it’s worth being honest with your instructor about that rather than just booking another retest and hoping.
It’s also worth saying plainly, because a lot of guides dance around it: retesting costs real money. Examiner fees, additional aircraft rental, extra instructor time, it adds up, and that’s precisely why getting genuinely proficient before the retest, rather than rushing back in hopeful, tends to be the cheaper path in the long run as well as the safer one.
Programs with structured, milestone-based training tend to see fewer repeat failures than those with loosely scheduled, ad hoc lesson plans, largely because gaps are identified and closed earlier, before checkride day arrives.
Conclusion
Failing a checkride is a documented, regulated process with a clear way through it, not a verdict on whether you belong in the industry.
Most working pilots have a disapproval somewhere in their file, and it rarely slows down a serious career for long.
If you’re building toward a genuine career as an airline pilot and want structured training that catches these gaps well before checkride day, AeroCadet, a pilot academy in the USA with training bases across the US, is worth a conversation.
Reach out and see what a properly structured program looks like from day one.
FAQs
Does failing a checkride go on your permanent record?
Yes. A Notice of Disapproval becomes part of your FAA airman record permanently, though a single disapproval followed by a clean retest is common and rarely affects future opportunities.
Do you have to retake the entire checkride after failing one task?
Not usually. If you fail one task, you typically receive credit for all other tasks you passed, provided you retest within 60 days and bring the original Notice of Disapproval to the retest.
What is a Notice of Disapproval?
It’s FAA Form 8060-5, issued by the examiner when you fail to meet the Airman Certification Standards on one or more tasks. It lists the specific areas that were unsatisfactory and serves as your record for the 60-day credit window.
Can you fail a checkride and still become an airline pilot?
Yes. A single checkride failure, properly addressed, is common across the industry and rarely a red flag on its own. Patterns of repeated failures on the same tasks tend to draw more scrutiny than an isolated disapproval.
How much does it cost to retake a failed checkride?
Costs vary by location and examiner, but expect to pay a retest fee to the DPE plus whatever additional aircraft rental and instructor time your retraining requires. There’s no fixed national figure, so it’s worth asking your school directly.
About the author
Written by the AeroCadet Team. Our instructors and pilot mentors include current and former airline pilots with direct experience preparing international students for FAA knowledge and practical tests across our Part 141 and Part 61 programs.