PilotEdge Forums

Hi all,

Was excited to take my Comanche (callsign N2907G) from KSTS to KMRY last night. At first I wanted to go VFR and utilise the flyways under the SFO bravo but quickly after checking the weather I realised this wasn't going to happen so I decided to file IFR. I noticed the winds were pretty high gusting 25kts at the destination and the weather was 4 visibility with low cloud cover. I thought what the heck I'm IFR lets go for it. So I'm about 60 miles out, I check the ATIS and it says expect LOC 28L approach. So I briefed myself and thought I might have trouble actually getting in here. According to the plate the minimums was 1860ft with 3 visibility. The actual weather was reporting 2 visibility, broken at 500 and overcast at 1200.

I intercepted the localiser and the controller wished me "good luck", never a good sign. A 737 landed in front of me and reported windshear +/-10 all the way to the surface. Greeeeeaat. Here's me in my little Comanche hoping for the best. If I'm reading the plate correctly the 1860-3 on the plate indicates I need be in visual range of the approach lights or runway at 1860ft and visibility has to be 3 or greater. I passed this mark and could see nothing so I executed missed approach, this meant a hold at the Salinas VOR and in the end had to divert 40 miles north to San Jose International.

Can someone with more knowledge and experience than me let me know if I flew this correctly? I'm really curious why the controller cleared me for the approach when the weather was below minimums. Is the responsibility here on the pilot to attempt the approach (or not) rather than the burden on ATC to tell you otherwise?

Cheers
Sid

It is permitted for a pilot on a Part 91 flight to shoot an approach when the weather is below minimums. As a result, there is no requirement for the controller to advise you that the field is below minimums. It's done frequently for pilot training.

I'm a paraglider pilot and we have a saying on the hill that goes like this:
"If you are in doubt , don't fly it. "The good pilot is the one who can come down from the hill on foot."

This is about weather "minimus", good pilot will recognize it is not a good ide to try to fly here and now.

Same mentality goes for landing in IFR I think, good pilot will not risk it, he knows his plane and his personal limits. Even if the weather is above minimums but you are in doubt, fly the missed, or go divert. I think you made a perfect decision.


It is a simulator so I risk more than I would in real life, but not everything! I yet to crash even once

Balu0, I disagree. There is tremendous training value in executing approaches when the field is below minimums. It is the only time you will execute a true missed approach. It's best to have experienced that in training, many times, rather than doing it for real the first time, by yourself.

There is nothing inherently dangerous about flying a missed approach.

My instrument instructor instilled the concept that every instrument approach should be expected to go missed with the exception being a landing, rather than the other way around. The decision to go missed may be an issue of weather dipping below minimums, but it may also be another aircraft or an animal on the runway right when you break out. Practicing missed approaches in the sim, or in the RW under the hood or in actual IMC, should be a routine part of proficiency training and IFR flying and not something to be wary of or seek to avoid.

Whether in the real world or in practice, what the reported conditions are and what you experience flying the approach may be different. There are times the conditions are reported below minimums but you will pick up the runway environment in time to land. Conversely, the conditions may be reported above minimums but you will be forced to go missed.

Beyond that, as a pilot, you have to make decisions whether you have the skills and confidence to fly to minimums in tough conditions, or whether it would be better to divert to another airport with a precision approach and/or better conditions. Other considerations of course include how much fuel you have, how fatigued you are or that little voice in your head that's telling you, "divert, divert."