Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A)
Mode controller. The interface used by the pilot to select autopilot or flight director operating modes and to engage or disengage
the autopilot system.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). A United States Government independent organization responsible for
investigations of accidents involving aviation, highways, waterways, pipelines, and railroads in the United States. The NTSB is
charged by the Congress of the United States to investigate civil aviation accidents.
Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). A notice filed with an aviation authority to alert aircraft pilots of any hazards en route or at a
specific location. The authority in turn provides means of disseminating relevant NOTAMs to pilots.
Naturalistic decision-making. See Automatic decision-making.
PA VE. An acronym that represents the four risk identification areas: Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, and External pressures.
Personality. The embodiment of personal traits and characteristics of an individual that are set at a very early age and are
extremely resistant to change.
Pilot report (PIREP). Report of meteorological phenomena encountered by aircraft.
Probable cause. The defining event that directly leads to an accident.
Proficiency. Possessing a high standard of competence or expertise.
Qualification. Having the certificates, ratings, endorsements, or other designations required for the operation.
Residual risk. The remaining risk after system safety efforts have been fully employed. It is not necessarily the same as acceptable
risk. Residual risk is the sum of acceptable risk and unidentified risk. This is the total risk passed on to the user.
Risk. The future impact of a hazard that is not eliminated or controlled.
Risk assessment. An approach to managing uncertainty. Risk assessment is a quantitative value assigned to a task, action, or
event.
Risk assessment matrix. A tool used to see the relationship between risk likelihood and risk severity to determine an overall level
of risk, measured as low, medium, serious, or high.
Risk likelihood. The probability of encountering risk categorized as probable, occasional, remote, or improbable.
Risk management. The part of the decision-making process which relies on situational awareness, problem recognition, and
good judgment to reduce risks associated with each flight.
Risk mitigation. The process of reducing risk likelihood and severity to lower levels.
Risk severity. The magnitude of consequences of risk categorized as catastrophic, critical, marginal, or negligible.
Root cause. The underlying reason that leads the pilot or aircraft toward the probable cause of an accident.
Safety management system (SMS). The application of special technical and managerial skills to the systematic, forward-looking
identification and control of hazards throughout the life cycle of a project, program, or activity.
Single-pilot resource management (SRM). The art/science of managing all the resources (both on board the aircraft and from
outside sources) available to a single pilot (before and during flight) to ensure that the successful outcome of the flight is never
in doubt.
Situational awareness. Perception of variables in the environment, comprehension of their meaning, and projection of their
status in the near future.
Stress. The body’s response to demands placed upon it.
Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A)
System component failure of the powerplant (SCF-PP). An accident caused by failure of an engine component that may lead
to complete failure of the engine.
TEAM (or TEMA). An acronym that represents the four risk mitigation process steps: Transfer, Eliminate, Accept, and Mitigate
(or Transfer, Eliminate, Mitigate, and Accept).
Technically advanced airplane (TAA). An airplane equipped with an electronically advanced avionics system.
Threat. Hazards present in the environment or that are outside the influence of the flight crew that increase operational complexity
and may lead to errors.
Threat and error management (TEM). A risk management methodology designed to anticipate and prevent threats from creating
errors, trap errors before they cause undesired aircraft states, and mitigate undesired aircraft states to stop an incident or accident
from occurring.
Total risk. The sum of identified and unidentified risks.
Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR). Includes what was formerly known as the Federal Aviation Regulations
governing the operation of aircraft, airways, and airmen.
Unacceptable risk. The risk that cannot be tolerated by the managing activity. It is a subset of identified risk that must be
eliminated or controlled.
Unidentified risk. Risk not yet identified. Some unidentified risks are subsequently identified when a mishap occurs. Some risk
is never known.
Undesirable risk. A tolerable risk that must be prepared for and mitigated as best as possible.
Visual flight rules (VFR). Code of Federal Regulations that govern the procedures for conducting flight under visual conditions.
Visual meteorological conditions (VMC). Meteorological conditions expressed in terms of visibility, distance from cloud, and
ceiling meeting or exceeding the minimums specified for VFR.
Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A)
Symbols
3P model ............................................................................................................................ 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, 8-4, B-2, B-3
Advisory Circular .................................................................................................................................................... 8-1
aeronautical decision-making ....................................................................................................6-5, 8-1, 8-3, 8-4, G-1
Airman Certification Standards (ACS) ...................................................................................................................A-1
airspace ..................................................................................................................................................... 3-4, 3-6, 3-7
air traffic control (ATC) .......................................................................1-1, 1-3, 3-4, 3-8, 3-16, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, 6-5,
7-2, 8-4, C-3, G-1
analytical decision-making .............................................................................................................................. 8-1, 8-2
automatic decision-making .....................................................................................................................................G-1
Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) ............................................................................................6-3, 7-2
automation .....................................................................................................5-1, 6-1, 6-5, 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 8-3, A-1, C-5
autopilot ..............................................................................................................3-6, 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 7-4, C-4, C-5, G-2
CARE checklist ...............................................................................................................................................B-3, G-1
checklist .................................................................................................. 1-2, 3-2, 3-4, 3-5, 3-12, 3-15, 3-16, 4-3, 5-1,
5-5, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, 6-5, 6-6, 8-3, 8-4, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, C-1, C-4, C-5, G-1
controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) ............................................................3-3, 3-4, 3-7, 3-16, 4-3, 4-4, 8-3, C-4, G-1
crew resource management (CRM) ........................................................................................6-5, 8-3, AI-1, C-1, G-1
DECIDE Model ...............................................................................................................................................8-1, B-4
electronic flight bag (EFB) ........................................................................................................2-6, 5-3, 5-5, 8-2, G-1
environment .............................................................................................................1-2, 3-7, 3-15, 3-16, 4-4, 6-4, G-3
expectation bias ................................................................................................................................................6-2, 6-3
external pressures ................................................................................1-2, 3-8, 3-16, 4-4, 5-2, 5-3, 5-5, 6-2, A-1, B-3,
C-2, C-3, C-4, G-1, G-3
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ............................................1-1, 2-5, 3-3, 3-5, 3-11, 5-5, 8-1, AI-1, C-2, G-2
WINGS Program .................................................................................................................................................. 2-5
Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) ........................................................... 3-10, 3-11, 3-12, 3-16, 4-3, 4-4, 4-5, 5-4
human
behavior ................................................................................................................................................................G-2
error .............................................................................................................................................................. 8-1, G-2
factors ...................................................................................................................................................6-4, G-1, G-2
hypoxia ................................................................................................................................................................... 3-5
IMSAFE checklist ......................................................................................................................3-5, 3-6, 4-3, 5-1, G-2
Index
Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A)
instrument flight rules (IFR) .....................................................................2-3, 3-5, 3-7, 3-8, 3-14, 3-15, 4-3, 5-2, 7-3,
C-2, D-2, D-3, G-2
low instrument flight rules (LIFR) ....................................................................................................................... 2-3
instrument landing system (ILS) .............................................................................................................................5-5
instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) ....................................................1-3, 2-3, 3-4, 3-6, 3-7, 3-14, 3-15, G-2
loss of control ..................................................................................................................3-1, 3-7, 3-15, 3-16, 4-1, C-5
in-flight (LOC-I) ...............................................................................................3-3, 3-4, 3-6, 4-3, 4-4, C-2, C-4, G-2
on the ground (LOC-G) ........................................................................................................................................3-7
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ....................................1-1, 1-2, 3-1, 3-2, 6-2, 6-3, C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4,
naturalistic decision-making ....................................................................................................................8-3, 8-4, G-3
nighttime ..................................................................................................................................................3-1, C-4, C-5
Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) ...........................................................................................................................6-3, G-3
PA VE checklist ..........................................................1-2, 3-4, 3-12, 3-15, 4-3, 5-1, 5-5, B-1, B-2, B-3, C-1, C-4, C-5,
perceive ...............................................................................................................1-3, 3-1, 6-3, 6-6, 8-2, B-2, B-3, G-1
perform ............................................................................................................................................8-2, B-3, B-4, G-1
personal minimum ..................................................................................................................................................D-3
pilot error ................................................................................................................................................................ 1-3
pilot operating handbook (POH) .............................................................................................................................C-1
primary flight display (PFD) ...........................................................................................................................7-3, G-2
process ....................................................................................................................................................8-2, B-3, G-1
risk
assessment ............................................................................3-10, 3-16, 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-5, AI-1, B-1, B-3, G-1, G-3
matrix .............................................................................................4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 4-5, 5-2, AI-1, B-2, C-2, G-3
factors .............................................................................................................................................1-2, 8-1, C-1, C-3
management ..............................................................................1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 3-4, 3-12, 3-16, 5-1, 5-5, 6-1, 6-5, 7-2,
8-2, 8-3, AI-1, A-1, B-1, D-1, G-1, G-3, G-4
mitigation .2-5, 3-16, 4-5, 5-1, 5-2, 5-5, 6-2, 8-3, AI-1, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-5, D-1, G-1, G-3,
single-pilot resource management (SRM) ............................................................................... 5-5, 8-3, 8-4, A-1, G-3
situational awareness ............................................................................3-4, 6-4, 6-5, 7-1, 7-3, 7-4, 8-3, A-1, C-4, G-3
standard operating procedures (SOPs) .............................................................................................................3-2, 6-3
stress .......................................................................................................................2-5, 3-5, 5-1, 5-5, 6-2, G-2, G-3
terrain ................................................................................................ 2-2, 2-4, 3-3, 3-4, 3-6, 3-7, 3-8, 3-16, 4-1, 4-3,
4-4, 5-2, 5-3, 6-4, 7-3, 8-3, C-4, D-3, G-1
visual flight rules (VFR) .....................................................................2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 3-1, 3-4, 3-6, 3-7, 3-8, 3-9, 3-13,
3-14, 3-15, 3-16, 5-2, 7-3, C-4, D-2, D-3, G-2, G-4
Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A)
waypoint ...........................................................................................................................................................5-3, 7-1
weather .................................................................................................. 3-4, 3-6, 4-3, 4-4, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, 5-5, 6-1, 6-4,
8-2, C-2, D-1, D-2, D-3, G-2
Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A)