Under Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations it can be argued that a pilot can elect to depart from an airport when the visibility and ceiling are below the minimums for conducting an instrument approach into that same airport.

In most all general aviation scenarios this is a reckless and ill advised practice. Best practices recommend that a departing airplane not make a turn until 400′ Above Ground Level (AGL), and a precision instrument approach allows an airplane to descend as low as 200′ AGL.

In the event that the airplane experiences a total power failure between 500′ and 1,000′ AGL, a ceiling of 200′ means that any turns to align the aircraft for the best outcome are executed in the clouds. The airplane will depart the protected airspace of the final approach path, and if the pilot manages to get below the cloud layer without hitting an obstacle he or she would have only seconds to adequately align the airplane with a suitable landing surface.