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FAASTeam Notice
Type: Safety Stream - Pilots
Notice Date: Thursday, September 26, 2019
Notice Number: NOTC9748
Become a Risk Management Specialist
This notice expired on
Saturday, October 26, 2019

   We deal with hazards to our safety on a daily basis.  Hazards in aviation however, may have more catastrophic consequences if the risk is not handled properly.  Hazards we face every day such as a hot stove top or a wasp nest by the door have common, well-considered solutions.  For a general aviation pilot who doesn't fly every day, considering specific hazards may not be so intuitive.

   Making an unacceptable risk acceptable is the goal.  If that can't happen, we then abandon the activity as too risky.  Using the wasp nest example, we may choose to go out a different door as opposed to passing right by the nest, risking a sting.  Exiting another door is an acceptable risk to avoiding the wasps.

   In aviation, we evaluate the severity of the consequences and the likelihood of the consequences regarding the hazard.

   A simple example might be a new pilot departing an airport with one hour of fuel for a twenty-minute early morning flight, but not checking the weather to see if the intended destination is VFR.  This pilot sees that it's clear at his or her departure airport, maybe assuming its clear all around the region.  A fogged-in destination airport would make the limited amount of fuel a real problem.  Checking the weather at the destination answers the question of whether the risk of a flight is acceptable or unacceptable given the limited amount of fuel.  Also fully fueling the aircraft increases the acceptability of the risk of not checking the weather.  Adding fuel and checking the destination weather dramatically diminishes unacceptable risk and increases the margin of safety.

   There are many accidents annually where the accident cause winds up the fault of a pilot who has made the wrong choice for the wrong reason.  Download the two-page information flyer attached to this hyperlink to learn more about analyzing risk.  The FAA Safely Team wants you to become expert at identifying hazards and managing risks.

Phil Dixon, FAASTeam Program Manager, Memphis  901-322-8660 phil.dixon@faa.gov