Definition
The visual or aural cues an instrument or system provides to alert the pilot that it is malfunctioning or no longer reliable. In helicopter IFR certification, these include warning flags, off-scale indications, annunciator lights, frozen or erratic readings, and audio alerts that signal the affected instrument or component should not be trusted for flight guidance.
Plain English
The signs an instrument or system shows when it stops working properly — flags, warning lights, frozen needles, or alerts that tell you something is broken and you can't rely on what it's showing.
Context Anchor
Seen in helicopter IFR certification and equipment discussions, especially where the pilot must be able to recognize when a required instrument or system has stopped working correctly.
Derivation
Failure comes from the idea of not performing as expected. Indication comes from a word meaning “to point out.” Together, the phrase means signs that point out that something has failed.
Why Pilots Care
Enables immediate detection of critical failures so the pilot can switch to backups or initiate emergency procedures before losing control in instrument conditions.
Intuition Check
Failure indications are not the failure itself. They are the warnings or signs that reveal the failure to the pilot.
Example Sentence 1
During the IFR check, the examiner covered the attitude indicator and asked the pilot to identify the failure indications and transition to partial-panel flying.
Example Sentence 2
Certification requires clear failure indications so the crew can recognize a navigation receiver loss without delay.