Can you land long at a towered field without ATC approval?

Question

Can you land long at a towered field without ATC approval?

Answer 1

Yes, if cleared to land.  But landing long can interfere with the flow of traffic approaching behind you.  As a courtesy to the tower controller and to traffic behind you communicate with the tower controller about landing long.

The rule about descending at a rate that permits touching down in the touchdown zone is an Instrument Flight Rule [91.175 (c)(1)] for aircraft operated under Part 121 and 135 when a DA or MDA is applicable.

Answer 2

Yes you can, granted nothing is in your way.  Of course, this is illegal when permission is required (which is almost any airfield/airport that I know of.  So if you do land without approval, you better have a good reason.

Answer 3

Is the field ATC controlled?  If so you have to request a long landing and the ATC has to approve it.  If you violate his instructions you will be in big trouble or worse if another aircraft happens to be on the runway.

Answer 4

Legally, it depends on whether there is a designated landing area marked on the runway.  If it is an ILS runway, there is a specific area on which all aircraft are expected to touch down, unless the tower grants permission to land long.

If it is an auxiliary runway that does not have markings for an ILS touchdown zone, you need only be cleared to land, and you can touch down anywhere you like along the length of the runway on which you are cleared to land.

It is still a good courtesy to the tower controllers to ask permission to land long.  There may be something going on on the airport that you don't know about and can't see, and you will make them nervous.  If in doubt, communicate.

Answer 5

Even on VFR runways without a touchdown zone or fixed distance markers you are expected to touch down in the first third of the usable landing surface, so it is in your best interest to ask permission to land long, particularly if other aircraft are waiting to take off or are in the landing pattern. Failure to ask permission, or at least state your intention to land long is technical grounds for charging you with careless and reckless operation although I've never heard of anyone being charged with this except in the case of intersecting runways when LAHSO operations are in effect.