I would not like to see the FAA change the rules to handle
these exceptions, but a good pilot will note the conditions
and always plan for the worst. Even in perfectly clear
skies, Aspen is still just ONE runway. If there is a gear
up landing, you will go to an alternate.
If the weather is IFR at 800-2 and you're in the soup when
the airport equipment fails, you'll go to an alternate.

Whether that alternate is 10 miles away or 800 depends on
where you are flying and how much fuel you can carry.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.


wrote in message
oups.com...
| This issue is raised in AIM 5.1.9(b) anyway:
|
| b. The FAA has identified three possible situations where
the failure
| to plan for an alternate airport when flying IFR to such a
destination
| airport could result in a critical situation if the
weather is less
| than forecast and sufficient fuel is not available to
proceed to a
| suitable airport.
| 1. An IFR flight to an airport where the Minimum Descent
Altitudes
| (MDAs) or landing visibility minimums for all instrument
approaches are
| higher than the forecast weather minimums specified in 14
CFR Section
| 91.167(b). For example, there are 3 high altitude airports
in the U.S.
| with approved instrument approach procedures where all of
the MDAs are
| greater than 2,000 feet and/or the landing visibility
minimums are
| greater than 3 miles (Bishop, California; South Lake
Tahoe, California;
| and Aspen-Pitkin Co./Sardy Field, Colorado). In the case
of these
| airports, it is possible for a pilot to elect, on the
basis of
| forecasts, not to carry sufficient fuel to get to an
alternate when the
| ceiling and/or visibility is actually lower than that
necessary to
| complete the approach.
| 2. A small number of other airports in mountainous terrain
have MDAs
| which are slightly (100 to 300 feet) below 2,000 feet AGL.
In
| situations where there is an option as to whether to plan
for an
| alternate, pilots should bear in mind that just a slight
worsening of
| the weather conditions from those forecast could place the
airport
| below the published IFR landing minimums.
| 3. An IFR flight to an airport which requires special
equipment; i.e.,
| DME, glide slope, etc., in order to make the available
approaches to
| the lowest minimums. Pilots should be aware that all other
minimums on
| the approach charts may require weather conditions better
than those
| specified in 14 CFR Section 91.167(b). An inflight
equipment
| malfunction could result in the inability to comply with
the published
| approach procedures or, again, in the position of having
the airport
| below the published IFR landing minimums for all remaining
instrument
| approach alternatives.
|