Canada is moving ahead with proposed rules to simplify minimum visibility data shown on instrument approach charts and change them from “advisory” to “prescribed.”
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Canada is moving ahead with proposed rules to simplify minimum visibility data shown on instrument approach charts and change them from “advisory” to “prescribed.” In Canada, published approach chart visibilities do not prohibit operators from initiating an approach.
The new rules respond to recommendations from the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) following its investigation into a 2018 nonfatal accident involving a Beech King Air A100. They would essentially result in banning commercial operators from making an approach if the reported visibility is below published minimums, following rules in the U.S. and other ICAO member states.
Further, under current rules, operators calculate whether they can continue to the decision height (DH) or minimum descent altitude (MDA). “According to this calculation, the minimum visibility for an approach ban in Canada is less than the visibility published on the approach chart in every case,” said the TSB. “Consequently, it is likely that, once at the DH or MDA, pilots are not able to establish the required visual reference that will help them make a safe landing.
In its proposal, Transport Canada concedes that its approach procedures rules can be “complex” and do not follow other international procedures. “These rules have always intended to reflect Canada’s unique nature: a vast, sparsely populated country with remote communities that depend on aviation for the essentials of living,” the agency said.
According to the Canadian Business Aviation Association, Transport Canada will be hosting a Q&A session on September 6. This session will provide information about the safety ban initiative and the opportunity to give feedback and ask questions before the final draft amendments are published, tentatively next spring.
Transport Canada Readies New Instrument Approach Rules
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Canada is moving ahead with proposed rules to simplify minimum visibility data shown on instrument approach charts and change them from “advisory” to “prescribed.” In Canada, published approach chart visibilities do not prohibit operators from initiating an approach.
The new rules would essentially result in banning commercial operators from making an approach if the reported visibility is below published minimums, following rules in the U.S. and other ICAO member states.
Further, under current rules, operators calculate whether they can continue to the decision height (DH) or minimum descent altitude (MDA). “According to this calculation, the minimum visibility for an approach ban in Canada is less than the visibility published on the approach chart in every case,” said the TSB. “Consequently, it is likely that, once at the DH or MDA, pilots are not able to establish the required visual reference that will help them make a safe landing.
In its proposal, Transport Canada concedes that its approach procedures rules can be “complex” and do not follow other international procedures. “These rules have always intended to reflect Canada’s unique nature: a vast, sparsely populated country with remote communities that depend on aviation for the essentials of living,” the agency said.
Transport Canada will be hosting a Q&A session on September 6 to provide more information before the final draft amendments are published, tentatively next spring.