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14 CFR § 91.185
Volume 2 · Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 2025 edition.
IFR operations: Two-way radio communications failure
Sec. 91.185 IFR operations: Two-way radio communications failure.
(a) General. Unless otherwise authorized by ATC, each pilot who has
two-way radio communications failure when operating under IFR shall
comply with the rules of this section.
(b) VFR conditions. If the failure occurs in VFR conditions, or if
VFR conditions are encountered after the failure, each pilot shall
continue the flight under VFR and land as soon as practicable.
(c) IFR conditions. If the failure occurs in IFR conditions, or if
paragraph (b) of this section cannot be complied with, each pilot shall
continue the flight according to the following:
(1) Route. (i) By the route assigned in the last ATC clearance
received;
(ii) If being radar vectored, by the direct route from the point of
radio failure to the fix, route, or airway specified in the vector
clearance;
(iii) In the absence of an assigned route, by the route that ATC has
advised may be expected in a further clearance; or
(iv) In the absence of an assigned route or a route that ATC has
advised may be expected in a further clearance, by the route filed in
the flight plan.
(2) Altitude. At the highest of the following altitudes or flight
levels for the route segment being flown:
(i) The altitude or flight level assigned in the last ATC clearance
received;
(ii) The minimum altitude (converted, if appropriate, to minimum
flight level as prescribed in Sec. 91.121(c)) for IFR operations; or
(iii) The altitude or flight level ATC has advised may be expected
in a further clearance.
(3) Leave clearance limit. (i) When the clearance limit is a fix
from which an approach begins, commence descent or descent and approach
as close as possible to the expect-further-clearance time if one has
been received, or if one has not been received, as close as possible to
the estimated time of arrival as calculated from the filed or amended
(with ATC) estimated time en route.
(ii) If the clearance limit is not a fix from which an approach
begins, leave the clearance limit at the expect-further-clearance time
if one has been received, or if none has been received, upon arrival
over the clearance limit, and proceed to a fix from which an approach
begins and commence descent or descent and approach as close as possible
to the estimated time of arrival as calculated from the filed or amended
(with ATC) estimated time en route.
[Docket 18334, 54 FR 34294, Aug. 18, 1989; Amdt. 91-211, 54 FR 41211,
Oct. 5, 1989]U.S. Government work — public domain (17 U.S.C. §105). Reproduced from the checksummed 2025 annual edition of Title 14; always confirm against the current eCFR.