South Lake Tahoe LDA Approach Requires Key Points Not to Miss

Jason Blair

Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 03:05 PM ET

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Lake Tahoe is one of the more beautiful spots in the United States. [Credit: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

The LDA Runway 18 approach to South Lake Tahoe is challenging due to its high elevation and surrounding mountains, requiring extra attention and specific procedures.
It is an offset localizer approach (LDA) that only permits straight-in landings for Runway 18, with circling prohibited due to significant surrounding terrain.
The procedure requires DME/GPS, features an unusually distant missed approach point (4.0 DME), and mandates a minimum of 5 miles visibility, making it suitable for marginal, not severe, IFR conditions.
The missed approach is complex, involving specific turns, radial intercepts, and a high-altitude hold at 11,000 feet MSL, necessitating pilots to verify their aircraft's climb performance.

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Arguably one of the most stunning lakes in the United States, Lake Tahoe sits at a relatively high elevation surrounded by even loftier mountains. This can make flying an approach to South Lake Tahoe, California, something that requires a little more attention than your average approach, especially if you are going to be using the LDA Runway 18 procedure.

If I had to choose, this might be one of the coolest and most beautiful approaches to fly in the United States—in VFR weather. In IFR, it certainly has a few key points you wouldn’t want to miss.