How would you identify instrument failure during a simulated scenario?

• A. Listen for ATC instructions.
• B. Check fuel quantity.
• C. Look for inconsistent indications among instruments and perform cross-checks to verify.
• D. Ignore any discrepancies.

Answer: (C)

Detecting instrument failure comes from keeping a continuous cross-check and looking for readings that don’t agree across the instruments. In a simulated scenario, you watch how each instrument responds and compare them to one another. If one instrument shows a reading that disagrees with the others—like the attitude indicator showing bank or pitch while the turn coordinator, heading indicator, and altitude/airspeed indicators indicate level flight or a different attitude—that discrepancy points to a possible failure. You then verify by using the remaining reliable instruments or standby indicators to confirm which reading is faulty, and you adjust your control inputs to rely on the trustworthy references.

This is the best approach because it uses independent sources of information to identify faults rather than relying on a single instrument. Listening for ATC instructions doesn’t reveal instrument failures, checking fuel quantity isn’t related to instrument readings, and ignoring discrepancies can lead to dangerous loss of control.