PIC Authority

FAR 91.3 — PIC Authority

FAR 91.3 makes the PIC directly responsible and the final authority for aircraft operation, with emergency deviation rights. Study guide for pilot students.

In Plain English

FAR 91.3 is one of the most important regulations every pilot must know. It establishes three things about the pilot in command (PIC):

The PIC is directly responsible for the operation of the aircraft.
The PIC is the final authority as to that operation — no controller, dispatcher, or passenger can override this.
In an in-flight emergency that requires immediate action, the PIC may deviate from any rule in Part 91 to the extent needed to handle the emergency.

If you do deviate under emergency authority, you must send a written report to the Administrator — but only upon request. You don't have to file one automatically.

Why it matters operationally: this rule empowers you to make safety-of-flight decisions on the spot — busting an altitude, entering Class B without a clearance, or declaring an emergency — without fearing the regulation. It also reinforces that the buck stops with you. ATC may issue instructions, but you fly the airplane and you own the outcome.

Regulation Text

14 CFR § 91.3

§ 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)

Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask

Q1Who is directly responsible for, and the final authority as to, the operation of an aircraft?

Per FAR 91.3(a), the pilot in command is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of the aircraft.

Q2If you encounter an in-flight emergency, what authority does FAR 91.3 give you?

FAR 91.3(b) allows the PIC to deviate from any rule of Part 91 to the extent required to meet an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action.

Q3After deviating from a rule under emergency authority, what are you required to do?

Under FAR 91.3(c), the PIC must send a written report of the deviation to the Administrator, but only upon the Administrator's request.

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Related Sections in Part 91

§ 91.1

Part 91 Applicability

§ 91.1001

Fractional Ownership Applicability

§ 91.1002

Fractional Ownership Compliance

§ 91.1003

Fractional Ownership Contracts

§ 91.1005

Fractional Ownership Limitations

§ 91.1007

Fractional Program Flights

§ 91.1009

Operational Control

§ 91.101

Flight Rules Applicability

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