Moonship - "One of the most dangerous condition in flight is a pilot who won't make the tough decision, in this case to get on the ground safely when the opportunity presents, because they are so paranoid about having to explain their use of emergency authority!"


Bingo. International ops w/b. Destination wx bad, diverted. Pretty long divert. Enroute to the alternate hat wx got worse. Tried an approach and missed. Out of options. Auto landed, below minimums, on a non-auto land runway.

Sometimes you have to do whatever it takes. Oh wait, that's what the law says -

14 CFR 91.3 - Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command.

§ 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.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2120-0005)

That's why AA's CP said - "if you've got problems, but call me from the ground, you've done ok." Running out of gas because you're afraid to make tough decisions is dumb.