Originally Posted by
justanotherflyer
MSA often gets discussed in incidents such as this....It is a height at or above which, if you are forced to descend to it by deteriorating cloud base or visibility, then you MUST divert or return to better conditions. This is another decision which it is essential to "pre-make" in the pilot's mind long before it is forced upon them.
To me that seems unnecessarily restrictive for VFR. To me it's sensible to say, you can be below the MSA if you are clear of cloud and have sufficient visibility to see and avoid obstacles, whilst maintaining a safe height above ground. When you can't be below the MSA is when you can't see where you're going.