Which best describes risk management in aviation?

• A. Ignoring hazards to maintain schedule
• B. Perceiving hazards, evaluating probability and severity, and applying mitigation to preserve safety
• C. Focusing only on equipment maintenance
• D. Relying solely on automation during flight

Answer: (B)

Risk management is a proactive decision-making process in aviation. It starts with perceiving hazards and evaluating their risk by considering both how likely they are to occur and how severe the potential consequences could be. From there, appropriate mitigations are applied to reduce that risk to an acceptable level, and the effectiveness of those controls is monitored. This approach embodies identifying hazards, assessing probability and severity, and implementing measures to preserve safety.

The other options miss essential elements: ignoring hazards neglects the need to manage risk; focusing only on equipment maintenance overlooks human factors, procedures, and environmental risks; relying solely on automation ignores the pilot’s role and the possibility of automation failure.