FAR ninety-one dot one oh three and the most important regulation you're probably not following all the way
FAR 91.103 requires pilots to review all available information before every flight — here's what that actually means in practice.
FAR 91.103 is one of the shortest regulations in the book, but it’s one of the most commonly cited in accident reports and checkride failures. It requires every pilot in command to become familiar with all available information concerning a flight before departure. Most pilots think that means checking the weather and glancing at runway lengths. In practice, it demands far more — and understanding its full scope is essential for both passing a checkride and staying alive.
What Does FAR 91.103 Actually Say?
The regulation fits in a single paragraph. Paraphrased, it states: each pilot in command shall, before each flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight. For flights away from the vicinity of an airport, that includes weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives if the planned flight cannot be completed, and any known ATC delays. For every flight — even local ones — it includes runway lengths at airports of intended use and the aircraft’s takeoff and landing distance data under existing conditions.
That’s the entire regulation. Its power lies in how broadly the FAA wrote it.
Why “All Available Information” Is the Key Phrase
The word “all” is doing enormous work in this regulation. Not some information. Not what’s convenient. All of it.
What counts as “all available” scales with the complexity of the flight. For touch-and-goes at your home airport on a clear day, it might mean a glance at the windsock and a check of NOTAMs. For a 200-nautical-mile cross-country crossing a mountain range with weather moving in, it means a full standard briefing: winds aloft, area forecasts, PIREPs, NOTAMs along the route and at the destination and alternate, the TFR list, weight and balance numbers, fuel burn calculations with reserves, and takeoff and landing performance charts for every airport you might use.
The regulation doesn’t list all of that because it doesn’t have to. If the information exists and it concerns your flight, you’re expected to obtain it.
How This Regulation Catches Pilots Off Guard
Consider this scenario: you plan a cross-country to an unfamiliar field. Weather looks good. NOTAMs are clear. The runway is 4,200 feet — plenty of room. You go fly.
When you arrive, you discover the runway has a significant upslope, tall trees on the approach end, and far higher density altitude than expected because the field sits at 3,000 feet MSL and it’s August. You land long and barely stop in time.
Did you violate 91.103? Arguably, yes. The Chart Supplement had remarks about the slope. The sectional showed the elevation. The performance charts in your POH would have revealed a much longer required landing distance at that density altitude. The information was available — you just didn’t go get it.
Breaking Down Each Required Element
Weather Reports and Forecasts
The regulation says both — and the distinction matters. A METAR is a report of current conditions. A TAF is a forecast of expected conditions. You need both because weather at departure may be completely different from weather at arrival two hours later.
This also extends beyond your departure and destination airports. If your route passes near a frontal boundary, that weather concerns your flight even if it’s 50 miles off to the side. Thunderstorms rarely stay where forecasts put them.
Fuel Requirements
FAR 91.103 doesn’t define specific fuel reserves — those live in FAR 91.151 (day VFR requires enough fuel to reach the first point of intended landing plus 30 minutes at normal cruise). But 91.103 is asking something bigger: it wants you to think about fuel beyond the legal minimum.
What if headwinds are stronger than forecast? What if ATC holds you in the pattern? What if you have to divert? The regulation pushes you toward a fuel plan that accounts for the real world.
Alternatives If the Flight Cannot Be Completed
Many student pilots assume alternates are an instrument flying concept. The formal alternate airport requirement is indeed an IFR regulation. But 91.103 applies to VFR pilots too. If weather at your destination drops below VFR minimums, where will you go? Do you have enough fuel to get there? Do you know where the nearest airport is along your route?
This kind of contingency thinking separates a pilot who follows rules from a pilot who manages a flight.
Known ATC Delays
If you’re departing from or arriving at a busy airport with flow control programs, closed runways, or traffic management initiatives, that affects fuel planning, timing, and decision-making. A check of Flight Service or the FAA’s online tools can reveal delays you need to account for.
The Requirement That Nails the Most Pilots
Runway lengths and takeoff/landing distance data apply to every flight, including short local hops. This is where the most failures occur — not because pilots skip checking runway length, but because they skip checking their airplane’s actual performance.
A Cessna 172 approaching a 3,000-foot runway sounds like plenty of room. But did you open the POH and check the landing distance chart? Did you account for temperature, pressure altitude, wind, runway surface condition, and whether you’ll fly the manufacturer’s exact recommended technique with maximum braking?
The manufacturer’s published numbers assume a new airplane flown by a test pilot using the exact procedure in the manual. Your airplane has worn brake pads. You’re not a test pilot. And you might carry extra speed on short final.
What Examiners Want to See on the Checkride
The Airman Certification Standards for the private pilot checkride specifically test knowledge of aircraft performance and limitations. An examiner might present a scenario: an airport at 4,500 feet elevation, temperature 30°C, runway 2,800 feet. Can you make it?
They want you to pull out the performance charts and show the math. Not guess. Not say “probably fine.” If your calculated landing distance with a safety margin exceeds the available runway, the correct answer is: no, we need to pick a different airport.
That’s 91.103 doing exactly what it was designed to do.
How 91.103 Shows Up in Accident Reports
The NTSB has investigated hundreds of accidents citing “inadequate preflight planning” or “failure to obtain proper preflight information” as a probable cause. That language maps directly to 91.103.
Two of the most common scenarios:
- TFR violations. A pilot skips NOTAMs and flies into a Temporary Flight Restriction for a presidential movement, sporting event, or wildfire operation. This can result in FAA enforcement action or interception by military aircraft.
- Density altitude accidents. A pilot flies into a high-elevation airport on a hot day without checking performance charts. The airplane can’t climb out of the valley.
In both cases, the information was available. The pilot simply didn’t use it.
A Five-Question Preflight Information Routine
Before every flight, answer these five questions:
- What’s the weather doing now, and what will it do? Check both reports and forecasts.
- Do I have enough fuel with real-world reserves? Account for headwinds, holds, and diversions.
- What’s my backup plan if something changes? Know your alternates and how to reach them.
- Are there NOTAMs, TFRs, or delays I need to know about? Check every time, no exceptions.
- Can my airplane actually perform at the airports I’m using today? Run the numbers for current conditions.
If you can answer all five confidently, you’ve met the standard. If you can’t answer even one, you have more work to do before starting the engine.
Why This Regulation Never Stops Applying
FAR 91.103 says pilot in command — not student pilot, not private pilot. It applies from your first solo and never expires. Every airline captain flying a 777 across the Pacific is bound by the same regulation. The scope of “all available information” scales with flight complexity, but the obligation is constant.
The best pilots treat 91.103 not as a box to check but as a mindset: the more you know on the ground, the fewer surprises you get in the air. And surprises in the air are where accident chains begin.
Key Takeaways
- FAR 91.103 requires familiarity with “all available information” — that phrase is intentionally broad and scales with flight complexity
- Weather means both reports (METARs) and forecasts (TAFs), not just current conditions at departure
- Performance charts must be checked against actual conditions — runway length alone doesn’t tell you if your airplane can safely operate there
- VFR pilots need contingency plans too — alternate thinking isn’t just for IFR flights
- The NTSB routinely cites 91.103 noncompliance as a contributing factor in accidents involving TFR busts and density altitude mishaps
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