If the glideslope is lost, which approach may be attempted?

If the glideslope is lost, which approach may be attempted?

• A. A localizer approach may be attempted
• B. The approach is still fully usable
• C. You must abandon the flight
• D. A GPS approach is required

Answer: (A)

When vertical guidance from an ILS is unavailable, you can still rely on the localizer for lateral guidance and fly a localizer approach. The localizer provides the course to the runway centerline, but there is no vertical guidance, so you descend to the published minimum descent altitude (MDA) for the localizer approach and complete the approach using the non-precision procedures. This is why the correct choice is that a localizer approach may be attempted. The ILS no longer provides the full approach, so it isn’t described as “fully usable.” A GPS approach isn’t required unless a published GPS option is available and selected, and abandoning the flight isn’t necessary when a localizer approach is viable.

When vertical guidance from an ILS is unavailable, you can still rely on the localizer for lateral guidance and fly a localizer approach. The localizer provides the course to the runway centerline, but there is no vertical guidance, so you descend to the published minimum descent altitude (MDA) for the localizer approach and complete the approach using the non-precision procedures. This is why the correct choice is that a localizer approach may be attempted. The ILS no longer provides the full approach, so it isn’t described as “fully usable.” A GPS approach isn’t required unless a published GPS option is available and selected, and abandoning the flight isn’t necessary when a localizer approach is viable.