Originally Posted by
Styla
So what I take from it is that regardless of my failure I have to chose a suitable airport i.e. an airport with weather above published minima. Which obviously cannot be the case. So either the definition for a suitable airport is different or its a mistake in the company manual.
Apply some common sense. If there is no suitable airport available, and you
must land, you make a command decision as PIC, and use what is available, to the best of your ability.
For Sully on the Hudson, it was ditching in a river
For TACA 110, it was landing on a grass levee near New Orleans
For The Gimli Glider (Air Canada 143), it was landing on a former runway (used for car racing) at a permanently-closed (X) airport.
(All involved loss of all engines, for one reason or another).
So far as I know, not one of those pilots got into trouble - long-term - for failing to choose a "suitable" airport. The TACA 110 crew was given an
award for airmanship.
There is also the "get out of jail free" regulation - at least under FAA jurisdiction. I assume EASA provides something similar.
§ 91.3 Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command.
(a) The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft.
(b) In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the pilot in command may deviate from any rule of this part to the extent required to meet that emergency.
(c) Each pilot in command who deviates from a rule under paragraph (b) of this section shall, upon the request of the Administrator, send a written report of that deviation to the Administrator.
In addition, there are emergencies beyond the scope of the ECAM. Such as an onboard medical emergency. A "nearest suitable airport" by the book-definition may be available - but if there will be no adequate medical treatment facilities nearby to save the victim, it is probably not helpful for that specific emergency. A suitable airport a few miles farther away that
can deliver rapid medical response may be the better choice.