What is the one exception to the Approach Criteria requirement?

What is the one exception to the Approach Criteria requirement?

• A. When cleared by ATC to use higher minima
• B. When approach has not been started
• C. Once commenced, pilot may continue approach to approved published landing minima
• D. When the weather improves

Answer: (C)

Approach criteria set the minimum weather conditions you must have to begin an instrument approach and to continue it to a landing. The important nuance is what happens after you’ve already started. The one exception is that once you have commenced the approach, you may continue to the approved published landing minima. In other words, if you’re already established on the approach, you’re allowed to carry on through the approach and descend to the published landing minimums even if conditions worsen relative to the earlier point of decision. You still need to have the necessary flight references and meet the published minima to land, and you must abort or go missed if those conditions aren’t met or if the required visuals aren’t present. The other scenarios don’t provide an exception to this rule: you don’t get to ignore the minima before starting the approach, and simply waiting for weather to improve isn’t the special allowance described here. Also, being cleared to higher minima just changes which minima you must meet, not that you’ve gained an exception to the rule.

Approach criteria set the minimum weather conditions you must have to begin an instrument approach and to continue it to a landing. The important nuance is what happens after you’ve already started.

The one exception is that once you have commenced the approach, you may continue to the approved published landing minima. In other words, if you’re already established on the approach, you’re allowed to carry on through the approach and descend to the published landing minimums even if conditions worsen relative to the earlier point of decision. You still need to have the necessary flight references and meet the published minima to land, and you must abort or go missed if those conditions aren’t met or if the required visuals aren’t present.

The other scenarios don’t provide an exception to this rule: you don’t get to ignore the minima before starting the approach, and simply waiting for weather to improve isn’t the special allowance described here. Also, being cleared to higher minima just changes which minima you must meet, not that you’ve gained an exception to the rule.