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If the pitot tube’s ram inlet becomes blocked but its drain hole remains open, what happens to the airspeed indicator?
Choices
✓ It drops toward zerocorrect
With the ram inlet blocked and the drain open, trapped pressure bleeds off and airspeed falls toward zero.
It freezes at the current reading
Freezing at the current value describes a different blockage combination.
It reads maximum speed
The indicator does not peg high in this case.
It is unaffected
A blocked pitot inlet directly affects the airspeed indicator.
Why
When the ram inlet is blocked but the drain is open, the pressure escapes and the airspeed indicator drops toward zero.
FAA source: PHAK Ch. 8browse the reference library →
Original study question written for this course — representative of FAA knowledge-test topics, not an actual current FAA exam question.