PLT396: Departure Alternate Airport
What code PLT396 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Departure Alternate Airport before your checkride.
Recall regulations - departure alternate airport
What this means for your checkride
When the weather at the departure airport is below the operator's landing minimums, an air carrier flight must designate a departure alternate airport within a specified distance so the flight has somewhere to land if it cannot return after takeoff. The alternate must meet the applicable weather minimums for the time of use.
A takeoff with no usable return field in low weather is a real hazard, so the FAA tests when a departure alternate is required and how it is chosen.
A departure alternate is required only when the departure airport itself is below landing minimums; it is a separate concept from the destination alternate.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.