Let Yourself Down

As an instrument instructor I’ve learned one of the most common topics of confusion among pilots is, “When is it safe—and expected—to descend in the process of an instrument arrival?” Confusion isn’t limited to non-professionals. One of the most frequent topics for quizzes and reviews in professional pilot journals involves determining the correct altitude to fly at various points on a charted terminal procedure.

Tom Turner

Friday, November 16, 2012 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots are ultimately responsible for terrain and obstacle clearance, requiring them to cross-check all ATC descent clearances against charted minimum safe altitudes (MEA, MOCA, OROCA) rather than blindly following instructions.
Adherence to charted altitudes is critical for all segments of an instrument arrival, including STARs, DME arcs, and various phases of the approach (procedure turns, final approach, step-downs).
Specific points like the Visual Descent Point (VDP) for non-precision approaches and circling minimums dictate when it is safe to descend below minimums after achieving visual contact with the runway.
Once a missed approach is initiated, pilots must fly the full published procedure, as attempting to salvage a landing is almost never a safe option.