Landing Assured

joecoolinsc Rookie Spartanburg, SC

I just searched the 7110.65, the AIM and the FAR's for "landing assured", and failed to find it in any of them.

Question #1
Can anyone provide a definitive reference for what it means?

Question #2
For those of you who use this phraseology, what does it mean to you?

Thanks,
Joe

ATCinWI Senior Member Illinois

1) There does not appear to be an official definition for "landing assured", but if you google that phrase, you will get some hits from FAA and NTSB documents. It was in an LOA at one of the towers where I was formerly employed.

2) It means that the aircraft hasn't necessarily landed, but it is definitely going to land. To me, landing assured on a fixed-wing airplane means "landed" because they can always go around. See example below. For a helicopter landing away from the airport, if the pilot reports "landing assured", I simply terminate his radar services. He is on the verge of leaving my class C by landing at an off-airport site.

Fixed wing example: Aircraft flying an instrument approach to SMO. Because if its proximity, LAX must protect for missed approaches at SMO. It is SOP to advise LAX when an aircraft on the instrument approach is "landing assured", and they no longer have to protect for that approach.

Like I said, until the aircraft is in his landing roll, I don't consider him landing assured because for one reason or another, he could go around at the last second and into the clouds and fly the missed approach. Some SMO controllers call "landing assured" on short final, but it would be their deal if the aircraft went around and the missed approach conflicted with a LAX departure because LAX wasn't protecting anymore.

polo708 Epic Member tower

There are plenty of phrases used daily that are not in the .65 and the meaning usually is clear cut.

Landing assured to me means that the pilots landing is assured, lol... plane under control and no chance of a go-around

atcguruaf Rico Suave AZ

I agree with y'all...

joecoolinsc Rookie Spartanburg, SC

I am just pointing out that such a widely used phrase should have a standard definition so it means the same thing to pilots and controllers.

One pilot handbook I saw while researching this stated that if the pilot says "landing assured" that ATC would cancel his/her flight plan. This simply isn't true.

Another definition I found said to a pilot it means even if my engine fails I will be able to land. That's pretty specific, but not definitive since it doesn't exist in rule or regulation.

barty Trusted Member

As a pilot, landing assured means I am in a position that I can land on the runway or whatever other surface I intend to land on, short of a wing falling off or the airplane breaking in two. To me, this means I am lined up with the runway and at a distance that if I was using full flaps and lost my engine, I could still land. It is not until I get to that point that I will add my final notch of flaps. It still doesn't mean I may not have to go around (if possible) because of winds, or some animal or other object appearing on the runway suddenly. Sometimes this happens a mere few seconds before the wheels touching the ground. So I would not agree with your assertion that "landing assured" = "no go around".

polo708 Epic Member tower

well then your landing isn't assured now is it...

as?sured (-shrd)
adj.
1. Made certain; guaranteed: an assured income.
2. Exhibiting confidence or authority: paints with an assured hand.
3. Chiefly British Insured.

if the possibility still exist for you to make a go around you should not be telling controllers you are assured. When that possibility is gone THEN you are landing assured.


landing "guaranteed" should mean no go around.

MikeATC Retired FAA, NATCA Member Nashville TN

The use of "Landing Assured" is no longer legal according to the 7110.65 and hasn't been for a very long time. This was a good rule for VFR towers to help the IFR controlling facility, but problems occured so the FAA did away with it.

At VFR towers the phrase "Landing Assured" was used to tell the controlling IFR facility that an IFR aircraft was about to land and that they could cancel the IFR flight plan.

Granted we would fudge the Landing Assured (give it with the aircraft on the downwind, etc.) but basically we were guaranteeing that the IFR aircraft was going to land so that the IFR facility could clear the next IFR arrival into the airport.

joecoolinsc Rookie Spartanburg, SC

Mike, you're showing your age!

But seriously... As you say, it was eliminated for a reason. It has held on through years (many, many years :-) of instructors teaching it as one of those "because I said so" things.

I do not use it or teach it. The only time I can think the phrase may be useful is in VFR towers without a BRITE for helicopters landing off the airport, as brought up in another thread here.

MikeATC Retired FAA, NATCA Member Nashville TN

Landing Assured, Land and Hold Short, Taxi into Position and Hold, are all tools that we used well to move traffic safely in the past, only to loose them because someone determined they weren't safe to use anymore.