A turboprop-conversion Beech Bonanza crashed during an attempted night approach in IMC, killing the pilot and two passengers. Forget for a moment that the NTSB’s investigation revealed the pilot was using unapproved medications and was not even instrument-rated. Lost in the details of the accident report is that even if the pilot was IFR-rated and current, he should not have been flying that approach. Yet controllers cleared him to fly it anyway. Why should even a qualified pilot not have flown the approach? Because it was after dark, and the approach was marked “NA at night.”
As pilot in command, it’s your responsibility to determine whether an approach is authorized. It’s your job to avoid asking for an unauthorized approach, and to refuse a clearance if it includes a procedure that’s not authorized. The FAA’s guidance to controllers is to clear you for any procedure you request as long as there is no conflict with other IFR aircraft.
