Flight Risk Assessment Frat

---
name: flight-risk-assessment-frat
description: >
  Use this skill when a pilot-in-command, dispatcher, chief pilot, or flight-school instructor
  needs to run a pre-flight FRAT for a Part 91, 135, 137, or 141 operation. Walks PAVE +
  IMSAFE, scores each category, maps to Green/Yellow/Red, and produces a DRAFT FRAT log with
  mitigation plan and dispatch recommendation. Go/no-go decision remains the PIC's.
original_author: archlab-space
source: clawhub
---

# Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT)

## intent

run a structured pre-flight risk assessment when a pilot, dispatcher, chief pilot, or flight-school instructor needs to decide whether a flight is safe to launch. this skill walks PAVE (pilot, aircraft, environment, external pressures) with IMSAFE self-check, scores each hazard 0-3, maps the total to green/yellow/red, and produces a defensible frat log with mitigations and dispatch recommendation. the output supports but never replaces the pilot-in-command's final go/no-go authority under 14 CFR 91.3.

use this skill for part 91, 135, 137, or 141 operations. applies to vfr and ifr missions, single-pilot and crew, training and commercial. default scoring follows faa safety team frat (october 2024). if your operator publishes a custom frat or scoring scale, that overrides the default.

## inputs

**flight and operator context:**
- operator / certificate holder name (e.g., "abc air", "private owner", "xyz flight school")
- regulatory part (91, 135, 137, 141, 121, or public-use)
- mission type (cross-country vfr, ifr repositioning, ag application, training, part 135 charter, air-medical, air-tour, ferry, maintenance test flight)
- aircraft type and model (e.g., cessna 172, piper pa-28, beechcraft baron)
- aircraft identifier (n-number, last 3 digits only for confidentiality)
- pic role (sole pilot, pic with sic, dual-instruction, check airman)
- departure airport (icao or faa identifier)
- destination airport (icao or faa identifier)
- alternate airport(s) if required (icao or faa identifier)
- estimated time of departure utc (e.g., 1430z)
- planned route summary (direct, via airway, vfr flight following, ifr routing)
- frat type (initial or re-frat; if re-frat, what changed)

**pilot data:**
- imsafe self-assessment: illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, eating status
- certificate level and ratings (sel, mel, ir, commercial, airline transport, type ratings)
- total flight time and time-in-type
- recent experience: last 30/60/90 days in aircraft type
- instrument currency under 14 cfr 61.57(c) if ifr flight
- most recent dual instruction or check ride (date and type)
- wings pilot proficiency program phase if applicable
- bfr or 61.58 / 135.293 / 135.297 currency status
- familiarity with departure, en-route, and destination airports (new or known)
- endorsements: high altitude, mountain, complex, high-performance, tailwheel (required for mission)

**aircraft data:**
- aircraft make, model, serial number (last 3 digits for n-number)
- equipment: ifr-capable, certified gps, autopilot, ads-b in, weather datalink, taws, tcas, radar, anti-ice/de-ice, oxygen system
- mel / cdl items currently deferred and operational impact (e.g., one nav radio, vacuum system)
- open squawks vs deferred maintenance
- recency of last 100-hour inspection, annual inspection, or progressive inspection
- planned block fuel (gallons or liters)
- ifr or vfr reserve fuel (gallons or liters)
- alternate airport fuel reserve
- contingency fuel
- weight and balance: current weight, cg position, margin to cg limits, density-altitude adjusted weight
- aircraft performance: takeoff distance required vs runway available (with 1.6x safety margin for part 135 if applicable), landing distance required vs runway available
- known aircraft quirks or maintenance history (e.g., gear extension issue, hot-start procedure, single vacuum source, single alternator)

**environment data (obtain from official sources: leidos, forefleet, aviation weather center, alpa pireps, vatsim adsb or similar):**
- departure weather: ceiling, visibility, wind direction, speed, gust, xwind component, runway alignment, convection, icing potential, turbulence
- en-route weather: same by segment or altitude
- destination weather: same, plus alternate weather if required
- freezing level forecast
- density altitude at departure, en-route, destination
- terrain: mountainous, over-water, hostile, night mea considerations
- daylight status: day, civil twilight, night
- notam for departure, en-route, destination (runway closures, ils outages, tfrs, airspace changes)
- tfr status (presidential, military, special event, hazard)
- alternate airport weather (part 135 and ifr mandatory)

**external pressures context:**
- passenger expectations (family, charter client, air-medical mission)
- business or customer pressure (deadline, charter contract, news crew)
- personal events (family gathering, holiday, event at destination)
- schedule reserve (hard time at destination vs eta buffer)
- get-home-itis indicators (deadhead leg home, weekend, holiday, end of duty day)
- reputational pressure (training check-ride, ferry deadline, press event)
- crew rest legality vs crew rest comfort
- cost-of-cancellation perception (financial, career, reputation)

**external connections and setup:**
- no external api integrations required. all data is user-supplied from official sources.
- if your organization uses a custom frat scoring system, provide the scoring scale (0-3 or 0-5) and color-mapping thresholds in place of defaults.
- if using a digital flight log or sms (safety management system) system, have the output frat ready to copy/paste into that system. this skill produces markdown; you will format for your system.

## procedure

### phase 1: flight and operator context

**step 1: capture the flight (ask one question at a time)**

start by asking for the operator / certificate holder name. wait for the answer, then ask for the regulatory part. continue in this order:
1. operator / certificate holder
2. regulatory part (91, 135, 137, 141, 121, or public-use)
3. mission type
4. aircraft type and model
5. aircraft identifier (n-number, last 3 only)
6. pic role
7. departure airport
8. destination airport
9. alternate airport (if required)
10. estimated time of departure (utc)
11. planned route summary
12. frat type (initial or re-frat; if re-frat, what changed)

once all 12 fields are confirmed, move to step 2. do not skip any field.

**inputs to step 1:** none
**outputs from step 1:** confirmed flight context record with all 12 fields

---

**step 2: confirm scoring convention**

present the default faa frat scoring scale (0-3 per item) and the default color-mapping thresholds (green 0-14, yellow 15-29, red 30+). ask: "does your operator have a published frat or custom scoring scale that i should use instead?" if yes, capture that scale and mapping. if no, proceed with defaults.

also state the single-score-3 elevation rule: any single score of 3 in any pave category bumps the total color at least one tier (e.g., yellow with a 3 becomes red).

**inputs to step 2:** default faa frat scale and color map; operator's custom scale if provided
**outputs from step 2:** confirmed scoring convention for the assessment

---

### phase 2: pilot (p) - imsafe and currency

**step 3: imsafe self-assessment (ask one question at a time, one letter per interaction)**

walk the pilot through imsafe. for each letter, ask a simple open-ended question and listen for the answer. classify the status as ok, at-risk, or disqualifying.

- **i (illness):** "are you sick right now? any cold, congestion, gi issues, or fever?" if yes, ask severity. at-risk: mild cold, congestion, low fever. disqualifying: acute illness with symptoms impairing performance, high fever, nausea, dizziness.

- **m (medication):** "are you taking any medication right now, prescription or otc?" if yes, ask what and when. cross-check against faa dnied drugs (pseudoephedrine, diphenhydramine, ibuprofen under certain conditions, etc.). at-risk: otc drowsy med within wait period (usually 6-12 hours). disqualifying: dni medication, or medication causing impairment.

- **s (stress):** "is there personal or operational stress in your life right now?" if yes, ask what. at-risk: notable life event, recent argument, job uncertainty. disqualifying: acute grief, recent loss, divorce filing, financial crisis.

- **a (alcohol):** "have you had alcohol in the last 24 hours? any hangover, impairment, or intoxication right now?" at-risk: within 24 hours but more than 8 hours ago, lingering hangover. disqualifying: within 8 hours of ETD, bac >= 0.04, or current impairment. 14 CFR 91.17.

- **f (fatigue):** "how many hours of sleep did you get last night? how long have you been on duty today?" at-risk: < 8 hours sleep, on duty > 8 hours, circadian low (wocl, 0200-0600). disqualifying: < 6 hours sleep, > 10 hours duty, microsleeps, uncontrollable yawning.

- **e (eating):** "have you eaten today? how much water have you had?" at-risk: skipped a meal, < 1 liter water. disqualifying: no food for 8 hours, dehydration symptoms (dizziness, headache, dark urine).

after each answer, state the status (ok / at-risk / disqualifying). if any letter is disqualifying, flag the flight as no-go-from-imsafe and state this plainly: "this flight cannot launch with a disqualifying imsafe item. the pilot-in-command must resolve [item] before proceeding."

**inputs to step 3:** pilot's verbal answers to each imsafe letter
**outputs from step 3:** imsafe status table with ok / at-risk / disqualifying classification and rationale for each letter; flag if any disqualifying

---

**step 4: currency and experience (score each 0-3)**

ask about the pilot's certificate, ratings, and recency. for each of the following items, assign a score 0-3:

| item | score 0 | score 1 | score 2 | score 3 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| certificate and ratings for mission | current sel/mel, ifr or commercial as needed | current but recent checkride or endorsement | outdated endorsement, new rating | lapsed certificate, missing required rating |
| total time | > 1000 hours | 500-1000 hours | 250-500 hours | < 250 hours |
| time-in-type | > 500 hours in type | 100-500 hours | 30-100 hours | < 30 hours |
| recent recency (last 30-90 days) | 10+ flights or 20+ hours in type in last 30 days | 5-10 flights in type in last 60 days | 1-4 flights in type in last 90 days | no recent in-type, grounded for > 90 days |
| instrument currency (if ifr) | current under 61.57(c), recent approaches | current but minimal approaches | expired currency, needs currency training | no ifr rating or expired medical |
| dual / instruction recency | recent dual within 90 days | dual within 6 months | no dual in 6+ months | no dual or check in 12+ months |
| airport familiarity | familiar with dep/dest (10+ landings each) | some familiarity or sim practice | new destination, never landed | unfamiliar high-density or mountain destination |
| required endorsements (high-alt, mountain, complex, tailwheel) | all required endorsements current | one endorsement gap but not critical | one endorsement gap, may limit mission | missing critical endorsement for mission |

score each item against its 0-3 guide. sum to get p subtotal.

**inputs to step 4:** pilot's certificate, ratings, time, recency, endorsements, airport experience
**outputs from step 4:** currency table with score 0-3 for each item and rationale; p subtotal

---

### phase 3: aircraft (a)

**step 5: aircraft score (0-3 per item)**

ask about the aircraft's type, equipment, maintenance status, fuel, weight and balance, and performance. for each of the following items, assign a score 0-3:

| item | score 0 | score 1 | score 2 | score 3 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| equipment fit for mission | all required equipment (ifr-capable, gps, autopilot, ads-b, weather datalink, taws, ice protection as needed) | standard vfr equipment, no major gaps | one major system missing (e.g., no autopilot for long flight) | multi-system gaps, vfr-only into ifr forecast |
| mel / cdl items | no open mel items | minor mel item (e.g., cabin light) | mel item affecting redundancy (e.g., one nav radio, one alternator) | multiple mel items, critical systems affected |
| maintenance status | recent annual or progressive, no open squawks | recent 100-hour, minor deferred items | marginal inspection cycle, some deferred maintenance | overdue inspection, major open squawks |
| fuel | adequate block fuel + 45 min vfr / 30 min ifr reserve + alternate fuel | adequate block fuel + 30 min reserve | marginal reserve, close to legal minimum | fuel reserve cutting into contingency, risk of landing below minimums |
| weight and balance | well within envelope, favorable cg margin, density-altitude margin | within envelope, adequate cg margin | near max weight, marginal density-altitude margin | at or near mgtow, unfavorable cg, high density-altitude density weight |
| performance (takeoff) | takeoff distance required << runway available (>= 1.6x safety margin) | takeoff distance adequate (1.3-1.6x margin) | marginal margin (1.1-1.3x), high density-altitude | marginal or inadequate runway, high weight, high density-altitude |
| performance (landing) | landing distance required << runway available (>= 1.6x safety margin) | landing distance adequate (1.3-1.6x margin) | marginal margin (1.1-1.3x) | landing distance inadequate, marginal runway, high weight |
| known aircraft quirks | no known issues | minor quirk (e.g., gear extension time) | moderate quirk (e.g., single-vacuum source, hot-start procedure, slow pressurization) | significant quirk limiting safety margin (e.g., single alternator, unreliable fuel gauge) |

score each item against its 0-3 guide. sum to get a subtotal.

**inputs to step 5:** aircraft type, equipment list, mel / cdl items, inspection status, fuel quantities, weight and balance, runway data, known quirks
**outputs from step 5:** aircraft score table with score 0-3 for each item and rationale; a subtotal

---

### phase 4: environment (v)

**step 6: weather, airspace, terrain (0-3 per item)**

ask the pilot for weather and airspace data for departure, en-route (by segment if multi-leg), destination, and alternates. obtain from official sources (leidos, forefleet, weather.gov, alpa pireps, faa notam search, tfr.faa.gov). for each of the following items, assign a score 0-3:

| item | score 0 | score 1 | score 2 | score 3 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| visibility category | vfr (5+ sm) throughout | mvfr (3-5 sm) with wide margin to ifr | ifr (1-3 sm) with stable trend, ceiling >= 1000 agl | lifr (< 1 sm), ceiling < 500 agl, no improving trend |
| ceiling | vfr (> 3000 agl) or no ceiling | mvfr (1000-3000 agl) | ifr (500-1000 agl), stable | lifr (< 500 agl), lowering trend |
| wind direction and speed | light (< 10 kt), aligned with runway | moderate (10-15 kt), aligned or slight xwind | strong (15-20 kt) or xwind near demonstrated limit | strong (> 20 kt), xwind exceeds demonstrated limit, gusts > 25 kt |
| convection / thunderstorms | no storms within 100 nm | isolated storms 50-100 nm, easy to deviate | convection within 50 nm, line activity, forecast in arrival window | embedded or scattered storms in arrival window, no easy deviation, ifr required |
| icing | no icing forecast or reported, freezing level well above cruise | icing potential 5000+ feet above cruise | icing forecast within 2000 feet of cruise, non-fiki aircraft | moderate/severe icing in cruise window, non-fiki aircraft, limited exit options |
| turbulence | smooth (light or none) | light turbulence, occasional | moderate turbulence, mountain wave, low-level wind shear in approach | severe turbulence forecast, microbursts, or windshear in terminal area |
| density altitude | < 2000 feet | 2000-5000 feet | 5000-8000 feet, density-altitude adjusted performance margin marginal | > 8000 feet, marginal or inadequate performance margin |
| terrain | flat, populated, over-water low-altitude ok | rolling, forested, over-water requiring altitude | mountainous, restricted terrain, night mea issues | high mountains, extreme terrain, night low-altitude over-water, no bailout |
| daylight | day (