General Aviation

FAA
Aviation Safety
Joint Steering Committee
Safety Enhancement Topic

Introduction to Safety Risk Management

Civil aviation organizations, air carriers, and military aviation activities have embraced
Safety Risk Management — a foundational component of all safety management systems. Single-
pilot operations can also enjoy the benefits of safer, more efficient flying through the application of
risk management processes.

Risk management is a formalized way of dealing Step 1: Hazard Identification

with hazards. It is a logical process of evaluation where
you weigh the potential costs of a risk against the What conditions or circumstances could
potential benefits you might receive, if you allowed that negatively affect your flight?
risk to stand uncontrolled. In order to better understand
risk management, the terms “hazard” and “risk” need to Step 2: Risk Assessment
be understood.
A hazard is a present condition, event, object, or How likely are the identified hazards to cause a
circumstance that could lead to or contribute to an problem and how severe will the consequences be if they
do?
unplanned or undesired event such as an accident. It is a
source of danger. Examples of common aviation hazards
Step 3: Risk Mitigation
include a nick in the propeller blade, improper refueling
of an aircraft, pilot fatigue, and the use of unapproved What can you do to reduce the risks to acceptable
hardware on the aircraft. levels?

If pilots do not recognize a hazard and choose to We need to constantly monitor the hazards and
continue, the involved risk is not managed. risks associated with our flight to make sure that the
identified risks remain at an
Risk management is a three-step process that acceptable level.
people use to:
 identify hazards,
 express how likely those hazards are to negatively
impact their operations, and
 reduce the chances that those hazards will cause an
accident.

Continued on Next Page

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AFS-850 19-01
Flight Risk Assessment Tools (FRAT)
Because every flight has some level of risk, it is
critical that pilots are able to differentiate, in advance,
between a low-risk flight and a high-risk flight, and then
establish a review process and develop risk mitigation
strategies. A FRAT enables proactive hazard identification,
it is easy to use, and can visually depict risk. It is an
invaluable tool in helping pilots make better go/no-go
decisions and should be a part of every flight.
Although designs can vary, FRATs generally ask a
series of questions that help identify and quantify risk for
a flight. The FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) currently offers
a FRAT tool that follows the PAVE checklist, covering
questions on the Pilot, Aircraft, enViroment, and External
Pressures.

Resources
 Risk Management Safety Minute Video
https://youtu.be/fSJnS9ShMng

 Risk Management Training Video

https://youtu.be/luiIOUZeCW0

 FAA Risk Management Handbook

http://bit.ly/rm-handbook
For example, you may be asked how much rest
 Flight Risk Assessment Tools (FRAT) Fact Sheet
you’ve had, how much time you’ve had in the aircraft, and
http://bit.ly/2hk3omM
what the weather conditions are for your destination.
Based on the answers you supply, a total risk score is
 January/February 2017 issue of FAA Safety Briefing
calculated.
No FRAT can anticipate all the hazards that may
 “Risky Business: The What, How, and Why of Risk
impact a particular flight, but there are some common
Management”
hazards that GA pilots encounter regularly.
https://adobe.ly/2iBEi3h
The FAASTeam’s easy-to-use and GA-focused
FRAT can get you started in effective safety risk
 “Say Ahh … A Pilot’s Guide to Self-Assessing Risk”
management. The FRAT tool is currently available
https://adobe.ly/2ibKIH0
as an automated spreadsheet available at
https://go.usa.gov/xkhJK or via an iOS app
 “Is My Aircraft Right for Flight? The Importance of
available on the App Store at http://bit.ly/FAAST-FRAT.
Preflight Prep”
https://adobe.ly/2iePJ4p

 “The Wild (Not So Blue) Yonder: Mitigating Risk in

the Flight Operating Environment”
https://adobe.ly/2hus9AX

 “Are We There Yet? How External Pressures Can

Affect Your Flight”
https://adobe.ly/2ioBgQs

www.FAASafety.gov Produced by FAA Safety Briefing | Download at 1.usa.gov/SPANS