descent below minimums

If you can see the runway, there ain't no hill between you and it.

There might be antennae.

Jose
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"Jose" wrote in message
om...
If you can see the runway, there ain't no hill between you and it.

There might be antennae.

Yes, and these are not always depicted on approach plates.

No, you cannot, unless you first...
- cancel IFR, or
- get a visual approach clearance, or
- get a contact approach clearance

You might get away with it, though, if you just call in to ATC, "runway
in sight" before descending.

Agreed.

I think the answer is simple.

Aren't Part 97 instrument approach procedures required fy FARs? In
which case, all minimum altitudes depicted on approach plates must be
obeyed. 91.175 allows descent below MDA or dh when certain
paramenters are met. But not descent below other minimum altitudes on
the app procedure

Stan

On 4 Jan 2005 23:19:26 -0800, wrote:

No, you cannot, unless you first...
- cancel IFR, or
- get a visual approach clearance, or
- get a contact approach clearance

You might get away with it, though, if you just call in to ATC, "runway
in sight" before descending.

"hsm" wrote in message
ps.com...
Can I descent below minimums on an intermediate stepdown segment of an
IFR approach if I have the runway enviroment in sight?
On a very steep approach such as the backcourse loc-A to Santa
Maria,CA, I would like to start descending below 1700 feet prior to
reaching PATER, in order to facilitate a more comfortable decent in
VMC. Legal or do I first need a visual approach clearance?


I would first get the visual approach clearance.

I would also add a note about night, even though you did not ask: many
pilots have been killed descending below minimums at night when they thought
they had the runway in sight. In fact, there have been several notable
accidents like that during the day; the recent one in Texas where a jet on
the way to pick up former President Bush, Sr., crashed may be one such.