Definition
An FAA-approved document, specific to a particular aircraft by make, model, and registration, that lists the instruments and equipment which may be inoperative while the aircraft is still legally airworthy for flight, along with any conditions, limitations, or maintenance procedures that must accompany each allowed inoperative item.
Plain English
An official, aircraft-specific list that tells you which broken items you are allowed to fly with, and under what conditions.
Context Anchor
Used before a flight when a pilot finds equipment that is not working, such as during preflight, dispatch, or an aircraft logbook review.
Derivation
‘Minimum’ here doesn’t mean ‘least amount required generally.’ It refers to the minimum equipment that must be working for this specific aircraft to be dispatched legally. The word ‘list’ is literal — it’s a written, approved document, not a verbal rule of thumb.
Why Pilots Care
It determines whether the aircraft can be flown legally and safely with certain equipment inoperative, avoiding both unnecessary grounding and unsafe operations.
Intuition Check
Do not read “minimum equipment list” as a list of everything the aircraft must have for every flight. In aviation use, it is mainly a controlled list of items that may be not working, if the listed conditions are met.
Example Sentence 1
The landing light was inoperative, so the pilot consulted the MEL to confirm the aircraft could be dispatched for the daytime flight.
Example Sentence 2
With the navigation light listed as allowable inoperative on the MEL, the aircraft could depart for the short VFR trip after sunset.