When should pilots decline a land and hold short (LAHSO) clearance?

• A. When it will compromise safety
• B. When weather is bad
• C. When there is glassy air
• D. When there is day VFR

Answer: (A)

LAHSO clearances are about landing and stopping before a designated hold-short point on the runway. The decision to accept or decline hinges on safety: you must not accept if fulfilling it would put you in an unsafe situation.

If the available landing distance, given the current wind, surface conditions, your glider’s performance, and your energy state, would not allow you to safely stop before the hold-short line, you should decline. This includes scenarios where gusty or crosswind conditions would increase landing distance or exceed your braking or energy-absorption capability, or where there’s any chance you’d have to exceed safe limits to reach the hold-short point.

Weather or surface conditions by themselves aren’t automatic reasons to decline, but they affect your ability to meet the hold-short requirement. For example, bad weather could increase landing distance; glassy air changes approach dynamics; day VFR simply describes visibility and coordination—none of these alone mandate a decline unless they create an unsafe situation for meeting the hold-short point. In short, you accept LAHSO only when you can guarantee a safe landing and a clear stop before the hold-short line; otherwise, you decline.