Definition
A risk-evaluation tool used in the Process step of the FAA's 3P (Perceive-Process-Perform) risk management model. After hazards have been perceived, the pilot evaluates each one by considering its Consequences (what could go wrong), Alternatives (other courses of action), Reality (an honest look at the actual situation rather than the desired one), and External factors (pressures or influences from outside the cockpit such as schedule, passengers, or expectations).
Plain English
A four-question check a pilot runs through to weigh up a risk before deciding what to do. You ask what could go wrong, what other choices you have, whether you're being honest with yourself about the situation, and whether outside pressures are pushing you toward a bad decision.
Context Anchor
Used in aeronautical decision-making when a pilot has noticed a possible hazard and needs to judge how serious it is before choosing what to do next.
Derivation
CARE is a mnemonic — each letter stands for one of the four things to evaluate. The word 'care' was chosen because the act itself is one of taking care: pausing to think before acting.
Why Pilots Care
Helps reduce the chance of accidents caused by rushed or pressured decisions by making key risk factors explicit.
Intuition Check
CARE does not mean simply “be careful.” In this context, CARE is a structured checklist for thinking through risk before making a flight decision.
Example Sentence 1
After spotting a line of thunderstorms along the route, the pilot ran the CARE checklist and decided the consequences of pressing on outweighed the inconvenience of delaying the flight.
Example Sentence 2
The instructor had the student apply the CARE checklist to a scenario involving a last-minute schedule change and pressure to depart.