While many of the regulations that govern our actions are clear, there are a large number that may seem vague or even leave room for unintended interpretations. For these reasons, it is possible to seek official and binding interpretations from FAAs legal department, either through a direct request or possibly more onerous encounters with the regulations.
FAA legal interpretations consistently highlight the pilot's ultimate responsibility for flight safety, including accurate fuel planning (considering potential missed approaches), adhering to weather minimums regardless of ATC clearances, and developing contingency procedures.
Clarifications on fuel requirements (91.167) emphasize using verifiable, actual fuel consumption data over book numbers, and distinguish "minimum fuel" as a caution rather than an emergency.
For IFR operations, interpretations specify that full approaches from a published IAF are mandatory in non-radar environments (91.175), and critically, that 91.185 (communications failure) procedures, such as holding at an approach fix until the ETA if arriving early, supersede any STAR crossing restrictions.
While many of the regulations that govern our actions are clear, there are a large number that may seem vague or even leave room for unintended interpretations. For these reasons, it is possible to seek official and binding interpretations from FAA’s legal department, either through a direct request or possibly more onerous encounters with the regulations.
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