Definition
A Minimum Equipment List that has been formally accepted by the FAA for a specific aircraft and operator, identifying the instruments and equipment that may be inoperative while the aircraft is still legally airworthy for flight. It is built from the manufacturer's Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL) and tailored to the operator, and once approved it becomes a regulatory document that must be carried and followed.
Plain English
It is an official FAA-signed-off list that tells the operator exactly which broken items on their aircraft they are allowed to fly with, and under what conditions.
Context Anchor
You encounter this when an item is found not working during preflight, before dispatch, or before deciding whether an aircraft can legally depart.
Derivation
“Minimum” comes from a Latin word meaning “smallest.” In this term, it points to the least equipment allowed for a particular flight. “Approved” means accepted by the FAA, not just agreed to by the pilot or owner.
Why Pilots Care
Allows legal and safe continuation of operations without grounding the aircraft for every minor equipment issue while still protecting safety through defined procedures.
Intuition Check
Do not read “minimum” as “anything extra can be ignored,” and do not read “approved” as “the pilot thinks it is okay.” Here it means the FAA has formally accepted this list and its conditions for that aircraft or operator.
Example Sentence 1
The autopilot was inoperative, so the captain checked the FAA-approved MEL to confirm the flight could be dispatched with that item deferred.
Example Sentence 2
After repairing the landing light, the operator revised its FAA-approved MEL to reflect the updated equipment status.