Class 1 Validity and Night Currency on a Scheduled Passenger Run
Captain A holds a CPL(A) issued by the NCAA, valid until 14 March 2027. He turned 41 on 2 February. His Class 1 medical certificate was issued on 20 June of last year, with no waivers or limitations. On 3 February he is rostered to fly 5N-BQT, a Cessna 210, from Kaduna (DNKA) to Ilorin (DNIL), departing 18:20 with three fare-paying passengers. Official sunset at Ilorin is 18:51 and civil twilight ends at 19:14. The aircraft is serviceable except that the right main landing light is unserviceable; the left one works. DNIL's only runway lighting is portable battery lanterns, and prior permission is required for night use. The captain's logbook shows his last three night take-offs and landings were on 6 October last year; he has flown twice since then, both daytime training details. He has 640 hours total, 22 at night.
1. Is Captain A's Class 1 medical certificate valid on 3 February? Reason it through and state the consequence for the flight.
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No. Under the ICAO Annex 1 standard reflected in the NCARs, a Class 1 certificate has a 12-month validity that is reduced to 6 months once the holder has passed their 40th birthday. Captain A turned 41 in February, so the 6-month period applies from the date of the medical examination, not from the date of issue or his birthday. Issued 20 June, the certificate lapsed on 20 December - roughly six weeks before the planned flight.
Consequences:
- He cannot act as a flight crew member on a commercial air transport flight, and he cannot exercise CPL privileges at all while the certificate is lapsed.
- There is no self-extension. Some States permit limited extension in specific circumstances, but only where the regulation expressly provides for it and normally only for non-commercial operations; he must not assume it applies.
- The lawful route is a renewal examination by an NCAA-approved medical examiner, with the new certificate issued before dispatch.
Note the trap: many candidates count 12 months from issue and conclude he is covered. The age-based reduction, not the printed expiry, governs.
2. Assuming the medical had been renewed, could he carry the three passengers on this flight as planned? What would have to change?
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Only if he is night-current and the destination is legally usable at night.
Recency. The applicable recent-experience rule requires three take-offs and three landings in the preceding 90 days, with the landings performed at night for a night passenger flight. His last night landings were 6 October; 3 February is roughly 120 days later, outside the window. The two daytime details since then do not restore night currency - day landings do not count towards night carriage of passengers.
Destination. DNIL is lit only by portable lanterns and needs prior permission. Night operations require an aerodrome that is suitable and adequately lit for the type and the operation; portable battery lanterns rarely satisfy that test unless the AIP or a specific approval says so. He must check the AIP entry and the operator's route approval before nominating DNIL as destination, and must carry fuel to a properly lit diversion.
Remedy. Either (a) move the passengers to a daylight departure, or (b) complete three night circuits and full-stop landings with a qualified instructor or examiner, and obtain PPR for DNIL, before operating at night.
3. The right landing light is unserviceable. How do you decide whether that defect bars the flight, and who decides?
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This is not answered by the pilot's preference; it is answered by the equipment list applicable to the operation.
- Certification requirement. Establish whether the item is required by the aircraft's type certification and equipment list for night VFR. Position lights and anti-collision lights are the core night requirement; a landing light is frequently not a certification requirement, in which case a single serviceable light may be acceptable.
- Operating rules and MEL. If the operator holds an approved MEL, check whether the item is listed, what the rectification interval is and whether any operational condition (for example, day VFR only, or a specific approach ban) is attached. A defect not covered by the MEL cannot be deferred by the pilot or by an ops manager; it must be rectified or the aircraft grounded.
- Ops manual. The company operations manual may impose a stricter rule than the regulation; the stricter rule applies.
- Commander's authority. The commander makes the final decision and must be satisfied the aircraft is airworthy and the flight can be conducted safely. Record the defect and the decision in the technical log either way.
If the defect is not in the MEL and no approved deferral exists, the flight does not go. If it is properly deferred, the flight may proceed within the stated conditions.