Visual Approach..Vfr on go-around?

tighedye50 Newcomer

So a large debate at our facility is if an aircraft on a visual approach is instructed or executes a go-around is the aircraft vfr? Most of us like to believe so but cannot find where it says this in writing!


Interested to hear responses!

joecoolinsc Rookie Spartanburg, SC

An aircraft on an IFR flight plan is IFR until he cancels or lands, period. Excerpt from the AIM below.

The only exceptions to IFR separation I can think of are if the pilot specifically requests to maintain VFR conditions and you approve it, a VFR-On-Top clearance, when an aircraft conducting an overhead approach reaches the initial point, or MARSA. Even these aircraft are still on an IFR flight plan until they cancel or land.

Joe

5-1-14. Canceling IFR Flight Plan
a. 14 CFR Sections 91.153 and 91.169 include the
statement ?When a flight plan has been activated, the
pilot‐in‐command, upon canceling or completing the
flight under the flight plan, shall notify an FAA Flight
Service Station or ATC facility.?
b. An IFR flight plan may be canceled at any time
the flight is operating in VFR conditions outside
Class A airspace by pilots stating ?CANCEL MY IFR
FLIGHT PLAN? to the controller or air/ground
station with which they are communicating.
Immediately after canceling an IFR flight plan, a pilot
should take the necessary action to change to the
appropriate air/ground frequency, VFR radar beacon
code and VFR altitude or flight level.
c. ATC separation and information services will
be discontinued, including radar services (where
applicable). Consequently, if the canceling flight
desires VFR radar advisory service, the pilot must
specifically request it.
NOTE: Pilots must be aware that other procedures may be
applicable to a flight that cancels an IFR flight plan within
an area where a special program, such as a designated
TRSA, Class C airspace, or Class B airspace, has been
established.
e. If operating on an IFR flight plan to an airport
with a functioning control tower, the flight plan is
automatically closed upon landing.

WickedPenguin Junior Member Pensacola

7-4-1. VISUAL APPROACH
A visual approach is an ATC authorization for an aircraft on an IFR flight plan to proceed visually to the airport of intended landing; it is not an instrument approach procedure. Also, there is no missed approach segment. An aircraft unable to complete a visual approach shall be handled as any go-around and appropriate separation must be provided.

The wording is bad (man, I hate the 7110.65) but it says nothing about the aircraft's IFR/VFR status changing. It just says "appropriate separation". If the aircraft was VFR, then you need target resolution or 500 feet vertical between it and an IFR aircraft. If the aircraft was IFR, then you need the 3 miles/1000 feet required for an IFR airplane.

The airplane is IFR until the pilot reports otherwise, or it lands. An exception is an aircraft performing a military "break" overhead maneuver, as listed in 3-10-12. OVERHEAD MANEUVER where it says: "An aircraft conducting an overhead maneuver is on VFR and the IFR flight plan is cancelled when the aircraft reaches the "initial point" on the initial approach portion of the maneuver."

For normal civilian traffic, think about an uncontrolled field. If you clear someone for a visual into that airport and the pilot changes to the advisory frequency without canceling IFR, you've effectively shut down that airport. He could be doing touch and goes in the pattern for an hour and a half (each one, essentially a go-around), and he's still considered IFR until he says otherwise. And... you'll be stuck with a closed airport since you can't let anyone into or out of the field until someone - such as the pilot himself or Flight Service - lets you know they're canceling IFR.

If it's been longer than ten minutes since the plane dropped off our scope, we'll typically call up the field's FBO and ask them, "Is Cessna N172PT on the ground there?" If the FBO says yes, that's a confirmation that the plane has landed, is no longer IFR, and we'll reopen the field.

One time, we shut down the entirety of NAS South Whiting for nearly an hour because some Cessna landed at an uncontrolled field 3 miles south of it. The weather was especially crappy that day. He made it in fine, but found the FBO closed since the weather was so awful. The FBO employees figured nobody would be flying in such godawful weather, so they went home. The pilot got on the horn with Flight Service and they took forever to call us with the cancellation. Of course, we were calling the FBO ourselves, but they were closed.

In short: an airplane is generally considered IFR until the pilot cancels IFR himself or someone reports the plane on the ground.

SnowAviation Senior Member Escondido, CA

This is about the greyest of all the procedures in the book. The paragraphs are written too vague, everyone applies it differently.

A guy on a Visual is on an IFR flight plan like the others have said, and the pilot is also VFR during the approach. There is no missed approach so you don't have to protect for it, but depending on the airport and the type of plane you may end up with the pilot on your frequency anyway. But the pilot could opt to stay in the tower pattern if he wanted to, since he's operating under Visual Flight Rules.

Grey...or is it Gray?

Arrivals to SAN we just treat them as any other missed approach, but that's mostly due to the Class B and the fact that we have to re-sequence them, at the smaller airports nearby they typically just stay in the tower pattern and land.

polo708 Epic Member tower

An aircraft on an IFR flight plan is IFR until he cancels or lands

If he's sent around he is still IFR. You need to either talk him into canceling IFR to stay in the VFR pattern or climb him safely and send him back to approach.

tighedye05 Senior Member

Good input! Where this situation occurs is at North Island airport in San Diego. 2 miles north of North Island is SAN so when aircraft on the visual approach to runway 36 at north island Go-around...technically there is a separation bust with aircraft on final at SAN.

tighedye05 Senior Member

...And to the guy who mentioned an aircraft on a visual approach at a non-tower airport..I believe it says somewhere that when the aircraft is instructed to switch to CTAF and is with 1/2mile of the runway his ifr flight plan is cancelled.

joecoolinsc Rookie Spartanburg, SC

I challenge you to prove this because I wish it were true.

I say again, an IFR aircraft is IFR until it cancels or lands. At a towered airport the IFR is automatically canceled AFTER IT LANDS. At uncontrolled airports the pilot must cancel by notifying FAA through a variety of means. See 14 CFR Part 91 again.

Additionally, again 7110.65 states...

7-4-1. VISUAL APPROACH
A visual approach is an ATC authorization for an
aircraft on an IFR flight plan to proceed visually to the
airport of intended landing; it is not an instrument
approach procedure. Also, there is no missed
approach segment. An aircraft unable to complete a
visual approach shall be handled as any go‐around
and appropriate separation must be provided.

They simply state "appropriate" separation so they don't have to restate every separation rule in the book. IFR vs IFR, IFR vs VFR, IFR vs SVFR, RADAR vs non-RADAR or visual. Class B, C etc etc etc

I fail to see any gray or grey...

Joe

atcbrownie Trusted Member Warrenton Va

I agree. There is no doubt in my mind that the aircraft would remain IFR unless the pilot cancels.

AW

joecoolinsc Rookie Spartanburg, SC

On another note. One of the most important features of a flight-plan, be it IFR or VFR is that it provides for search and rescue. And a time to consider an aircraft overdue.

At towered airports the IFR cancellation is automatic because we, ATC, know the aircraft is down. Because it is transparent, I could see where we would forget we are in effect canceling the flight plan simply by watching the aircraft land. And most LOA's between tower only facilities and their controlling IFR facilty cover this subject, so the tower doesn't have to pass down times on all IFR arrivals.

We don't get in the business of cancelling VFR flight plans routinely because that is a flight service function and VFR flight plans are optional, not required. So we wouldn't know if they filed one anyway.

Regarding the overhead approach. The note in 7110.65 Para 3-10-12 states:

NOTE: Aircraft operating to an airport without a functioning
control tower must initiate cancellation of the IFR flight
plan prior to executing the overhead maneuver or after
landing.

So at a non-towered airport the pilot is still required to cancel.

If I were a pilot, I would never cancel IFR or VFR until I landed. That way, if something happened, at least someone would be looking for me.

Joe