For an LDA 30L approach at STL, when is sidestep permitted?

• A. When the landing runway is in sight
• B. When the aircraft is established on final approach
• C. Only with ATC clearance
• D. After crossing the Missed Approach Point

Answer: (A)

The maneuver is a visually guided adjustment to bring an offset LDA approach onto the actual runway centerline, and it’s allowed only when you can clearly see the landing runway. When you have the runway in sight, you can perform the sidestep to align with the runway while maintaining the published descent profile, which makes the approach safer and more straightforward than continuing on the offset guidance without visual reference.

If you don’t have the runway in sight, you don’t perform the sidestep because you lack the necessary visual reference to ensure you stay on a safe path toward the runway. Being established on final doesn’t create eligibility for a sidestep without sighting the runway, since you’d still be on the offset guidance without a verified visual reference. ATC clearance isn’t the gating factor here—the sidestep is a pilot-initiated, visual maneuver on a published approach when the runway environment is visible. After crossing the Missed Approach Point, you should execute the published missed approach if the runway isn’t in sight, so sidestepping would not apply.