If an aircraft reaches its clearance limit, what must it do?

If an aircraft reaches its clearance limit, what must it do?

• A. Proceed directly to the destination using filed route.
• B. Hold at the limit and await further clearance.
• C. Descend to minimum vectoring altitude.
• D. Turn to the nearest suitable alternate airport.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that a clearance limit marks the furthest point your clearance covers. Once you reach that point and you haven’t been given a new instruction to continue, you must not proceed along your filed route. Instead, you hold at the limit, using the published or assigned holding pattern, and wait for further clearance. This orderly pause lets ATC re-sequence traffic, assign a new route or altitude, and maintain safe separation. So, while on the hold you keep the last assigned altitude and follow the standard holding procedure as appropriate. You wouldn’t automatically proceed to the destination, descend to a special altitude, or divert to an alternate airport without explicit clearance or an assigned hold/departure instruction.

The key idea is that a clearance limit marks the furthest point your clearance covers. Once you reach that point and you haven’t been given a new instruction to continue, you must not proceed along your filed route. Instead, you hold at the limit, using the published or assigned holding pattern, and wait for further clearance. This orderly pause lets ATC re-sequence traffic, assign a new route or altitude, and maintain safe separation.

So, while on the hold you keep the last assigned altitude and follow the standard holding procedure as appropriate. You wouldn’t automatically proceed to the destination, descend to a special altitude, or divert to an alternate airport without explicit clearance or an assigned hold/departure instruction.