Your EFB Just Failed—What Is Your Backup Plan?

The tablet goes black ten miles from the destination. Perhaps it overheated in direct sun, the charging cable worked loose, the app froze, or the battery percentage was more optimistic than accurate. Whatever the cause, the moving map, airport diagram, weather display, and carefully organized flight documents have disappeared at once.

An effective EFB backup plan is not simply “bring another tablet.” It is a layered plan for continuing the flight without rushing, losing aircraft control, or discovering that every backup depends on the same failed component.

First, fly the airplane

An EFB failure is usually an inconvenience, but the pilot’s reaction can turn it into a serious distraction. The immediate priority remains aircraft control. Hold the intended attitude, heading, and altitude; confirm where the airplane is going; and avoid prolonged troubleshooting while workload is high.

If the failure occurs in cruise with good visibility and plenty of fuel, there may be time to diagnose it. If it happens during an approach, near terrain, in busy airspace, or while conditions are deteriorating, this is not the moment for an operating-system seminar. Use the equipment and information that remain available, communicate with ATC when appropriate, and simplify the flight.

That may mean requesting vectors, delaying an approach, climbing or turning away from terrain where legal and appropriate, holding, diverting, or landing at a less demanding airport. Under IFR, tell ATC what capability has been lost and what assistance you need. An EFB failure is not automatically an emergency, but a pilot should not hesitate to declare one if the circumstances warrant it.

Build backups around functions, not gadgets

A tablet performs several jobs, so “backup EFB” can be misleading. What exactly failed? Navigation? Charts? Weather access? Weight-and-balance calculations? Flight-plan notes? Airport information? A second device helps only if it can replace the functions that matter for that flight.

Start by identifying what your primary EFB provides, then give each essential function another path:

• Position and navigation: panel avionics, an independent phone or tablet, conventional radio navigation where available, or visual pilotage appropriate to the operation.
• Charts and procedures: current charts downloaded to a second device, or selected paper charts and procedure pages for the route, alternates, and likely diversions.
• Airport information: offline airport data, printed diagrams, or concise notes containing the information most likely to be needed.
• Power: a verified aircraft power outlet plus a charged power bank and known-good cables, rather than several devices sharing one questionable adapter.
• Flight planning: enough saved or written information to reconstruct the route, fuel picture, important frequencies, and alternates without relying on a cloud connection.

The critical word is independent. Two tablets using the same account, charging cable, software version, overheated spot on the glare shield, and internet connection are not five layers of redundancy. They are one system wearing two screens.

Match the plan to VFR or IFR

For a local VFR flight in familiar territory, a charged phone, panel navigation, and a small paper chart may be a reasonable combination. A night cross-country over unfamiliar terrain calls for more depth. An IFR flight near minimums demands a much more deliberate answer because losing access to an approach chart or airport diagram can sharply increase workload.

In the United States, 14 CFR 91.103 requires the pilot in command to become familiar with all available information concerning the flight. Regulations do not make every Part 91 pilot carry paper charts merely because an EFB is in use, but that does not eliminate the need for sound preflight planning, current information, or a practical response to equipment failure. Different rules and operator approvals can apply to commercial operations, so pilots should follow the requirements governing their operation.

For IFR, ask a blunt question before departure: If the primary screen dies at the worst plausible point, can I still identify my position, fly or obtain an appropriate clearance, access the necessary procedure information, and land? If the answer depends on cellular coverage at 2,000 feet, the plan needs work.

Prevent the predictable failures

Many EFB failures announce themselves before takeoff. The database is expired. The route was saved, but the charts were never downloaded. The phone has the backup app but not the login credentials. The power bank is charged while its cable has the wrong connector. A device in a thick case sits in direct sunlight and becomes too hot to operate.

A short preflight check catches most of this. Open the primary and backup apps rather than merely confirming that their icons exist. Verify chart currency and offline content. Put both devices in airplane mode briefly and check that the required material still opens. Confirm charge levels, connect external power, and inspect cables for loose plugs or damaged insulation. Check available storage if the app has recently downloaded a large update.

Heat deserves special attention. Keep devices out of prolonged direct sunlight when practical, avoid covering cooling surfaces, and do not assume a charging device will remain cool. Follow the device manufacturer’s temperature limits and warnings. If a unit becomes excessively hot, treat that as a reason to reduce dependence on it—not an invitation to improvise questionable cockpit cooling tricks.

Keep the backup reachable and restrained

A backup buried beneath baggage is technically aboard and operationally useless. The same applies to a loose phone that slides under a seat during turbulence. Arrange devices, cables, paper, and pens so they can be reached without obstructing flight controls or requiring a head-down search.

A kneeboard can help keep the primary device in a consistent location, particularly in cabins where a yoke mount or suction mount adds unwanted bulk. One low-profile option is the Dream Pilot Magic Kneeboard, which uses magnetic attachment and supports MagSafe devices as well as phones or tablets fitted with a compatible metal plate, in portrait or landscape orientation. As with any cockpit device setup, confirm on the ground that its position, size, and movement do not interfere with controls, visibility, or normal egress.

Paper need not mean carrying an entire flight-planning library. For some trips, a compact packet containing the destination and alternate diagrams, likely approaches, a route overview, and key notes offers useful resilience with little clutter. Just make sure anything carried for operational use is current and legible.

Rehearse the failure before it happens

A backup plan becomes credible only after it has been tested. On the ground, lock the main tablet and try to retrieve the route, destination chart, and alternate information from the backup. Can you unlock it quickly? Does the app work offline? Is the brightness usable? Does the battery hold charge? Can you find the needed page without fumbling through several apps?

Then discuss the plan during the passenger or crew briefing when relevant. If another pilot is aboard, agree on which device is primary, who handles troubleshooting, and when the flight will be simplified or diverted. Two pilots silently poking at two frozen screens is not crew resource management.

The best EFB backup plan is deliberately boring: independent power, current offline information, a second way to navigate, essential notes within reach, and a clear point at which troubleshooting stops. Prepare those layers on the ground, and a blank screen in flight remains what it should be—a manageable equipment problem, not the event that takes command of the cockpit.