When is it necessary to cancel IFR during active runway contact recoveries?

Canceling IFR during active runway contact recoveries must occur no later than radar termination. This is critical for ensuring that air traffic control has complete situational awareness and can manage traffic effectively. When radar services are terminated, the aircraft is essentially no longer under the direct control of air traffic control, and all IFR clearances become void. Therefore, pilots must transition to visual flight rules or maintain their situational awareness to ensure safe operations after this point.

While there may be moments in the flight where it could seem logical to cancel IFR, such as during the approach or after receiving landing clearance, these actions need to be aligned with air traffic control guidelines. Specifically, for active runway contact recoveries, the timely cancellation of IFR status before radar termination is crucial to maintain safety and compliance with air traffic management.