Tried to shoot an approach with weather below mins and tower refused clearance?

[RussR]

In my experience, controllers are human [citation needed] and suffer from the same types of learning/knowledge maladies as the rest of us. Bad information gets passed on through the generations just like pilots.

The OPs example sounds to me like the controller version of "don't run oversquare" or "downwind turns are dangerous", or maybe more accurately something like "you can't log PIC while getting your complex endorsement".

 

[midlifeflyer]

Correct but in this case it’s pretty black and white. This is right out of the .65. It’s the pilots job to determine wx mins. Whether that’s a military pilot who has ceiling / vis mins or in this case, a Part 91 pilot who only has a flight vis min (along with visual cues at DA/MDA).

Edit: Minus an approach that can be denied for wx (contact/visual), this is the procedure to be followed.

View attachment 113151

Well, "black and white" is sometimes in the eye of the beholder . In the one you quote its context is about what to do when the pilot reports - interesting phrasing - that the weather is below the pilot's landing minima. But yes, the pilot's responsibility, not ATC's, to comply with regulatory restrictions and limitations is there in multiple places. specific.

And yes, contact and visual approaches are different. Especially contact since there is no such thing without ATC approval.

 

[EdFred]

In my experience, controllers are human [citation needed] and suffer from the same types of learning/knowledge maladies as the rest of us. Bad information gets passed on through the generations just like pilots.

The OPs example sounds to me like the controller version of "don't run oversquare" or "downwind turns are dangerous", or maybe more accurately something like "you can't log PIC while getting your complex endorsement".

You got a like because of the [citation needed]

 

[Anon]

Update:

I called the tower about it and the sup said they already heard about the incident and are taking steps to educate the involved party. I think we already covered in this thread why it might've happened, but there were some misunderstandings about the rules by this controller. Thanks for everyone's help. It is an FAA tower, not contract and a very very busy class D but with 99% VFR traffic.

 

[WDD]

Just reading up on this thread - learning a few new things. Appreciate the OP for posting.

I land (no pun intended) with Midlifeflyer in that if the tower doesn't clear you to land, regardless of if they are wrong or right, you can't land unless it is an emergency. But unless the runway if not safe, other traffic, etc, they have to leave it to you to decide. In the conditions you describe, landing straight in would have been a chore, and add to that you were doing a circle to land. Yikes. Hardcore or reckless - take your pick. But it is your pick to make.