Emergency and government sponsored operations

This regulation allows flight duty and flight time limits to be exceeded during emergency operations and certain government-sponsored flights when crews cannot be relieved or given required rest as planned due to unforeseen circumstances.

The pilot-in-command may extend duty periods only to the minimum extent necessary to reach the nearest location where the crew can be properly relieved or rested. However, government contract operations cannot exceed the cumulative monthly limits for flight time and duty periods.

After such an extension, crews must receive rest equal to the actual flight duty period or 24 hours, whichever is less.

Certificate holders must report any extensions exceeding normal limits by more than 30 minutes within 10 days, describing the circumstances and corrective actions if the situation was within their control. These corrective actions must be implemented within 30 days.

This provides necessary operational flexibility for emergencies while maintaining safety oversight through mandatory reporting.

*This is a plain-English summary for study only. The official 14 CFR text on this page is controlling — always read the current regulation and consult a CFI.*