What checkride did YOU fail?

I failed my CFII because I couldn't find a reg fast enough for the examiner during oral

Failed on a V1 cut in turboprops on my very first PT. IMO the instructor was having a bad day and the fed agreed and reminded the instructor that he/she could retrain up to 2 items. The instructor elected not to do any training and issued the "pink" slip. IMO is was BS but I did lose the heading and opened the door. Been perfect ever since including an ATP, 3 type ratings, and multiples PC's.
 
Busted my initial single engine commercial over...darn near everything. It was a real disaster. I wasn't entirely prepared and was super nervous. Couple that with an intimidating examiner and I screwed up right and left. I think I passed slow flight and stalls, but that was it. The examiner told me I busted on chandelles (didn't hold pitch steady during the second half of the turn) and asked me if I wanted to continue. I did, but literally couldn't do anything right. After messing up eights on pylons, emergency procedures, and short field landings, the examiner finally said, "James, this really isn't your day. Let's head home and do it all another time." I agreed.

I switched schools, instructors, airplane, and examiner, and passed my recheck a few weeks later with no problems.

Haven't busted anything else to this point.
 
One.
It was my first Captian upgrade with ATP ride in an E-120. It was supposed to be a circling NDB, no flap landing, and I decended below the MDA on the circle. Did I mention it was at night, in the actual airplane? The FAA was on the re-check and reamed the checkairman out for giving me a circling NDB with an emergency. His point was, there are enough ILS's in the US that no one in their right mind would do a circling non-precision during an actual emergency. He made them give me a normal circle NDB, and then a straight-in no-flap ILS.

Mentioned it in my interview with SJA, and they agreed it was an ass move by the IP.
 
Busted my Instrument checkride. Was doing an arc to an ILS, had both VORs tuned to the VOR for the arc and flew right through the ILS.
 
None yet. None of my students have failed a checkride either, both part 61 or 135.

But it's coming my way eventually. There are those that have, and those that will.
 
I'm with the "still waiting to bust one crowd" though I've only had 2 chances to fail. Both were ridiculously easy in my opinion. Private was a 1.5 hr oral and 45 minute flight, instrument was a 2.5 hr oral and 1.5 hr flight...easy peasy lemon squeezy.
 
141 Instrument Stage Check Oral: Couldn't explain how a VSI worked
141 Multi-Engine Stage Check Flight: Forgot to raise the gear after completion of a simulated emergency descent. Didn't exceed tolerances, but I "lost an engine", had to do a single-engine approach, and didn't realize why the aircraft was performing like a rock
 
ppragman said:
None yet, but everybody I know seems to get one eventually, its probably a good thing, keeps us humble.
Click to expand...

Yep, and that's the worst part! I haven't busted one yet, but each time I go into a checkride or PC I have to think "Is this the one?" I just wish I'd bust one already and be done with it. :D

EDIT: The closest I've come was actually on my last recurrent PC at Cape Air. The check airman pulled an engine at 500' after takeoff, and I just continued up toward 1000' without securing or feathering it. I'm not sure why (it was my 3rd recurrent PC at that company, so I wasn't brand new), but I had it in my head that I'd just hit 1000' AGL and then secure it (i.e. "jet mode"). Luckily I'd flown with this check airman more than once in the past, so in the end he just kind of laughed at me when I started wondering why we were barely climbing. :)
 
Private - Young, dumb kid, ill-prepared for anything of importance. Failed miserably on every maneuver I could, in every possible way.

CFI-Initial - My nerves showed and I got flustered on something EXTREMELY easy on the sectional (the one thing I thought I knew well and didnt study much) and busted on the oral, definitely fail-able. It would have been a miracle if I had passed, I was beyond stressed going into that checkride from listening to all the horror stories other guys had after visiting the FSDO.

Both humbling experiences and lessons were definitely learned, guess I'll just have to wait and see if anyone will hire me and all my blemishes. :crazy:
 
Busted my instrument and CFII, both when I was partial panel. For the instrument it was for dipping below the min. altitude for that fix, and for the CFII it was for overshooting my course. I was only supposed to turn 90 degrees but I fixated on the altimeter for a second and didn't take out the bank until about 180 degrees. I thought the examiner was supposed to wait for a full or half scale deflection but he called it just as i was starting to correct.

Hope those few moments don't define the rest of my career.
 
I should have busted my Comm SE. Everything was going great. It was in the oral portion. I did the checkride in a PennYan 180hp 172 (it was an add on rating). Flight plan looked great, performance charts were awesome, and then......
"So this all looks really good. But doesn't this airplane have an engine STC?"

"Yes it does sir, 150hp to 180hp."

"So where did you get these figures from?"

"Uhhhhhh, uhhhhh, erm, uhh!" <---face now turning bright red.

"Uhhhhh, it's in here somewhere, I know it is!!!!!"

"You had better hurry up, you've got another 15 seconds before this ride is over......" <---folds arm and starts to look upset

"Well, I think I should discontinue"

"Nope I already asked you the question, so answer it!"

By chance, I came across the paragraph in the STC that says something to the effect of "figure these performance numbers a worst case scenario." And I showed him the hand drawn fuel curve chart. He made me show him how to use it, and then showed me on my flight plan how bad I had screwed the pooch. So he sat there and made me do it all over again. He should have busted me, but I had taken a few checkrides with him at that point and he had taken a liking to me I think. I had also gone through all my previous checkrides with him with out so much as a hick up (MEPVT/INST, MECOMM). So, I was lucky.
 
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