How better use of weather reports can make flying safer
Citing how important weather reports by pilots are to flight safety, the National Transportation Safety Board, (NTSB) in a special investigation report, called for changes in training and procedures for pilots, air traffic controllers and others within the aviation community to enhance the effectiveness of the entire pilot weather reporting system with the intent to reduce pilots’ inadvertent encounters with hazardous weather and to prevent weather-related accidents.
Pilot weather reports, or PIREPs, are brief reports from pilots of observed in-flight weather conditions. Pilots, flight dispatchers and air traffic controllers use the information gleaned from these reports to help all pilots avoid weather hazards, including those that may not otherwise be known from weather radar and other detection systems and forecasts alone. Meteorologists also use PIREPs to validate or amend forecasts, enhancing the accuracy of the weather information made available to the aviation community.