233 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 121.625 

required and authorized for that air-
port; or 

(ii) At least 1,500 feet above the low-

est published instrument approach 
minimum or 2,000 feet above the air-
port elevation, whichever is greater; 
and 

(iii) The visibility at that airport will 

be at least 3 miles, or 2 miles more 
than the lowest applicable visibility 
minimums, whichever is greater, for 
the instrument approach procedures to 
be used at the destination airport; or 

(2) The flight is over a route approved 

without an available alternate airport 
for a particular destination airport and 
the airplane has enough fuel to meet 
the requirements of § 121.641(b) or 
§ 121.645(c). 

(b) For the purposes of paragraph (a) 

of this section, the weather conditions 
at the alternate airport must meet the 
requirements of the certificate holder’s 
operations specifications. 

(c) No person may dispatch a flight 

unless he lists each required alternate 
airport in the dispatch release. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–159, 45 FR 41594, June 
19, 1980; Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2614, Jan. 26, 
1996] 

§ 121.623 Alternate airport for destina-

tion: IFR or over-the-top: Supple-
mental operations. 

(a) Except as provided in paragraph 

(b) of this section, each person releas-
ing an aircraft for operation under IFR 
or over-the-top shall list at least one 
alternate airport for each destination 
airport in the flight release. 

(b) An alternate airport need not be 

designated for IFR or over-the-top op-
erations where the aircraft carries 
enough fuel to meet the requirements 
of §§ 121.643 and 121.645 for flights out-
side the 48 contiguous States and the 
District of Columbia over routes with-
out an available alternate airport for a 
particular airport of destination. 

(c) For the purposes of paragraph (a) 

of this section, the weather require-
ments at the alternate airport must 
meet the requirements of the certifi-
cate holder’s operations specifications. 

(d) No person may release a flight un-

less he lists each required alternate 
airport in the flight release. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19222, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2614, Jan. 
26, 1996] 

§ 121.624 ETOPS Alternate Airports. 

(a) No person may dispatch or release 

an airplane for an ETOPS flight unless 
enough ETOPS Alternate Airports are 
listed in the dispatch or flight release 
such that the airplane remains within 
the authorized ETOPS maximum diver-
sion time. In selecting these ETOPS 
Alternate Airports, the certificate 
holder must consider all adequate air-
ports within the authorized ETOPS di-
version time for the flight that meet 
the standards of this part. 

(b) No person may list an airport as 

an ETOPS Alternate Airport in a dis-
patch or flight release unless, when it 
might be used (from the earliest to the 
latest possible landing time)— 

(1) The appropriate weather reports 

or forecasts, or any combination there-
of, indicate that the weather condi-
tions will be at or above the ETOPS Al-
ternate Airport minima specified in 
the certificate holder’s operations 
specifications; and 

(2) The field condition reports indi-

cate that a safe landing can be made. 

(c) Once a flight is en route, the 

weather conditions at each ETOPS Al-
ternate Airport must meet the require-
ments of § 121.631 (c). 

(d) No person may list an airport as 

an ETOPS Alternate Airport in the dis-
patch or flight release unless that air-
port meets the public protection re-
quirements of § 121.97(b)(1)(ii). 

[Doc. No. FAA–2002–6717, 72 FR 1881, Jan. 16, 
2007] 

§ 121.625 Alternate Airport weather 

minima. 

Except as provided in § 121.624 for 

ETOPS Alternate Airports, no person 
may list an airport as an alternate in 
the dispatch or flight release unless the 
appropriate weather reports or fore-
casts, or any combination thereof, indi-
cate that the weather conditions will 
be at or above the alternate weather 
minima specified in the certificate 

234 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.627 

holder’s operations specifications for 
that airport when the flight arrives. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2002–6717, 72 FR 1881, Jan. 16, 
2007] 

§ 121.627 Continuing flight in unsafe 

conditions. 

(a) No pilot in command may allow a 

flight to continue toward any airport 
to which it has been dispatched or re-
leased if, in the opinion of the pilot in 
command or dispatcher (domestic and 
flag operations only), the flight cannot 
be completed safely; unless, in the 
opinion of the pilot in command, there 
is no safer procedure. In that event, 
continuation toward that airport is an 
emergency situation as set forth in 
§ 121.557. 

(b) If any instrument or item of 

equipment required under this chapter 
for the particular operation becomes 
inoperative en route, the pilot in com-
mand shall comply with the approved 
procedures for such an occurrence as 
specified in the certificate holder’s 
manual. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 1922, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–222, 56 FR 12310, Mar. 
22, 1991; Amdt. 121–253, 61 FR 2615, Jan. 26, 
1996] 

§ 121.628 Inoperable instruments and 

equipment. 

(a) No person may take off an air-

plane with inoperable instruments or 
equipment installed unless the fol-
lowing conditions are met: 

(1) An approved Minimum Equipment 

List exists for that airplane. 

(2) The responsible Flight Standards 

office has issued the certificate holder 
operations specifications authorizing 
operations in accordance with an ap-
proved Minimum Equipment List. The 
flight crew shall have direct access at 
all times prior to flight to all of the in-
formation contained in the approved 
Minimum Equipment List through 
printed or other means approved by the 
Administrator in the certificate hold-
ers operations specifications. An ap-
proved Minimum Equipment List, as 
authorized by the operations specifica-
tions, constitutes an approved change 
to the type design without requiring 
recertification. 

(3) The approved Minimum Equip-

ment List must: 

(i) Be prepared in accordance with 

the limitations specified in paragraph 
(b) of this section. 

(ii) Provide for the operation of the 

airplane with certain instruments and 
equipment in an inoperable condition. 

(4) Records identifying the inoperable 

instruments and equipment and the in-
formation required by paragraph 
(a)(3)(ii) of this section must be avail-
able to the pilot. 

(5) The airplane is operated under all 

applicable conditions and limitations 
contained in the Minimum Equipment 
List and the operations specifications 
authorizing use of the Minimum Equip-
ment List. 

(b) The following instruments and 

equipment may not be included in the 
Minimum Equipment List: 

(1) Instruments and equipment that 

are either specifically or otherwise re-
quired by the airworthiness require-
ments under which the airplane is type 
certificated and which are essential for 
safe operations under all operating 
conditions. 

(2) Instruments and equipment re-

quired by an airworthiness directive to 
be in operable condition unless the air-
worthiness directive provides other-
wise. 

(3) Instruments and equipment re-

quired for specific operations by this 
part. 

(c) Notwithstanding paragraphs (b)(1) 

and (b)(3) of this section, an airplane 
with inoperable instruments or equip-
ment may be operated under a special 
flight permit under §§ 21.197 and 21.199 
of this chapter. 

[Doc. No. 25780, 56 FR 12310, Mar. 22, 1991; 
Amdt. 121–222, 56 FR 14290, Apr. 8, 1991; Amdt. 
121–253, 61 FR 2615, Jan. 26, 1996; Docket 
FAA–2018–0119, Amdt. 121–380, 83 FR 9172, 
Mar. 5, 2018] 

§ 121.629 Operation in icing condi-

tions. 

(a) No person may dispatch or release 

an aircraft, continue to operate an air-
craft en route, or land an aircraft when 
in the opinion of the pilot in command 
or aircraft dispatcher (domestic and 
flag operations only), icing conditions 
are expected or met that might ad-
versely affect the safety of the flight.