If the attitude indicator shows a bank with the wings level, what is the appropriate immediate action?

• A. Ignore the discrepancy and maintain attitude.
• B. Recenter the heading indicator.
• C. Cross-check with other instruments and reestablish wings-level attitude.
• D. Increase bank further to confirm AI.

Answer: (C)

In instrument flying, you must rely on more than one instrument because any single gauge can be faulty or off. If the attitude indicator shows a bank while the airplane is actually wings level, treat the AI as unreliable and verify your attitude with other references.

The best immediate action is to cross-check with other instruments and reestablish wings-level attitude. Use the standby attitude indicator or turn coordinator (and the heading indicator or magnetic compass) to confirm the true attitude, then roll the airplane back to wings level and maintain that reference while you continue to monitor all instruments for consistency. This approach prevents following a potentially faulty AI into an incorrect bank or pitch.

Ignoring the discrepancy risks a loss of control; simply recentering the heading indicator doesn’t fix the angular attitude; increasing bank to test the AI could worsen the situation and doesn’t address the instrument error.