FAA Definition
In the United States in particular, the Federal Aviation Administration calls this concept the Minimum Safe Altitude (MSA), and specifically defines it as follows in ยง 119 of Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR):
- Anywhere: an altitude allowing a safe emergency landing without undue hazard to person or property on the ground;
- Over Congested Areas: an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal distance of less than 2,000 feet;
- Over Populated Areas: an altitude of 500 feet AGL;
- Over Open Water or Sparsely Populated Areas: an altitude allowing for a linear distance greater than 500 from any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure;
- Helicopters: If without hazard to persons or property on the surface, an altitude lower than in definitions 2, 3, and 4 above, provided in compliance with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the FAA.
Read more about this topic: Lowest Safe Altitude
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