Risk Assessment & Mitigation Flashcards
7 cards from real AME practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Risk Assessment & Mitigation flashcards as text
An AME is reviewing the application of a 55-year-old first-class applicant who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting 3 years ago. Which study is central to FAA's cardiac risk stratification in this case?
Answer: Maximal Bruce protocol stress test with imaging
Post-CABG pilots require maximal stress testing (Bruce protocol) with nuclear or echo imaging to document adequate myocardial perfusion and functional capacity for FAA Special Issuance.
When the FAA evaluates risk for a pilot with a history of transient ischemic attack (TIA), the primary safety concern driving the deferral policy is:
Answer: The risk of a completed stroke causing sudden incapacitation during flight
The FAA's concern with TIA history is the elevated stroke risk with potential for sudden incapacitation, which creates an unacceptable safety risk in single-pilot operations.
Which factor would most likely lead an AME to defer rather than issue a third-class certificate to a pilot with treated hypothyroidism?
Answer: Recent dose change within the past 3 months with pending TSH recheck
A recent medication dose adjustment means thyroid status may not yet be stable, requiring a follow-up TSH before certifying to ensure euthyroid state.
From a risk management perspective, the FAA requires pilots with insulin-treated diabetes to use continuous glucose monitors (CGM) primarily to mitigate which hazard?
Answer: Asymptomatic hypoglycemia leading to cognitive impairment during flight
CGM provides real-time glucose trending to detect asymptomatic hypoglycemia before it causes cognitive impairment that could incapacitate the pilot in flight.
A pilot applicant has a history of major depressive disorder, now in full remission for 3 years without medication. What is the most important risk assessment criterion the AME must confirm?
Answer: Stable remission documented by a mental health professional with no suicidality
Documented sustained remission from a mental health professional, confirming no current mood symptoms or suicidality, is the essential evidence the AME must secure.
A first-class pilot is found to have left bundle branch block (LBBB) on a routine ECG. Why does this finding typically trigger FAA deferral?
Answer: LBBB can mask ischemic changes on stress testing and may indicate structural disease
LBBB obscures ST-segment analysis during stress testing and may reflect underlying cardiomyopathy or ischemic disease, requiring advanced imaging to rule out structural pathology.
Which intervention represents a 'last resort' risk mitigation measure when an AME cannot make a certification decision due to insufficient medical data?
Answer: Defer the application to the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) for adjudication
When an AME lacks sufficient information to decide, deferral to the FAA CAMI allows specialist physicians to adjudicate the case with full access to regulatory authority and medical resources.