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4 Answers

Flying ILS approach airport.

Asked by: 3402 views FAA Regulations, Instrument Rating, Weather

Assuming that the DA for the ILS approach is 230, TDZE 30ft, and reported ceiling is said to be 200ft AGL.

Are we still legally allowed to fly the appraoch, even though the cloud base is said to be at exactly 230ft according to the weather report?

Connor.

4 Answers



  1. Jim F. on Nov 11, 2016

    Are you operating under part 91? If/assuming so, then you could legally fly the approach even if it was reported as 0ft ceilings and 0ft visibility.

    Honestly, if this is a question you’re seriously asking, I think you oughtta go sit down with a CFII and brush-up on insrument flying and procedures…

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  2. connor on Nov 12, 2016

    I have looked at 91.187 and 185? I only noticed the regulation on 0.0 T/O minimums only.

    Could you mention what phrase of the part 91 187/185 you are referring to?

    Connor.

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  3. John D Collins on Nov 12, 2016

    There are no regulations in Part 91 that prohibit flying an approach with weather below minimums when operating under part 91. 91.175 does limit approaches and departures for operating under parts 121, 125, 129, and 135.

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  4. Best Answer


    Skyfox on Nov 14, 2016

    Under part 91, FAR 91.175 tells us that one of the requirements for descent from the MDA/DH is a flight visibility at or above the approach minimums. So, it wouldn’t matter if your antennas were scraping the cloud deck, as long as you had that minimum visibility AND you were continually in a position for a normal descent and landing AND had something from the runway environment in sight at the moment you reach the MDA/DH or MAP, you could proceed with the landing. It may be perfectly clear once you break out of those clouds, and you can land as normal. Or at your minimum altitude, even though you can clearly see the ground below you, your forward visibility may be blocked by the bottom few feet of the cloud deck and so can’t land. It really doesn’t matter what they report or forecast the ceiling to be, or even what the visibility forecast is. What matters is the actual visibility you have at the moment of reaching the end of that approach, and that is what you use to determine whether to continue landing or go missed.

    [I’m not familiar with part 121, 135, etc. to comment on what minimums you’d deal with when flying those types of operations.]

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