minimum descent altitude

English

Noun

minimum descent altitude (plural minimum descent altitudes) (abbreviated MDA)

1. (aviation) The lowest altitude at which an aircraft is permitted to fly during a non-precision approach without the runway being in clear sight.
   • 1972 April 14, National Transportation Safety Board, “2.2b Probable Cause”, in Aircraft Accident Report: Southern Airways, Inc. DC-9, N97S, Tri-State Airport, Huntington, West Virginia, November 14, 1970‎^[1], archived from the original on 8 May 2022, page 36:

     The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the descent below Minimum Descent Altitude during a nonprecision approach under adverse operating conditions, without visual contact with the runway environment. The Board has been unable to determine the reason for this descent, although the two most likely explanations are (a) improper use of cockpit instrumentation data, or (b) an altimetry system error.

Coordinate terms

• decision height