Definition
A regulatory phrase used in 14 CFR 91.3(b) describing conditions that pose a genuine threat to the safe conduct of a flight, serious enough to justify the pilot in command deviating from any rule of Part 91 to the extent required to meet that emergency.
Plain English
A situation dangerous enough that continuing to follow the normal rules could make things worse. When a flight is genuinely at risk, the pilot is allowed to break a rule if breaking it is what keeps the flight safe.
Context Anchor
Seen in aeronautical decision-making when a pilot is deciding whether a situation is still safe enough to continue.
Derivation
Hazard comes from an old word connected with chance or risk. In aviation, hazardous points to something more serious than ordinary difficulty: it is a risk that can threaten the safety of the flight.
Why Pilots Care
Identifying these attitudes allows pilots to apply corrective thinking and reduce the chance of poor decisions that lead to accidents.
Intuition Check
Hazardous does not mean an accident is certain. Here it means the risk is high enough that a safe pilot changes the plan before it becomes an accident.
Example Sentence 1
When the engine began running rough over mountainous terrain, the pilot judged the situation hazardous to safe flight and descended below the assigned altitude to reach a suitable landing area.
Example Sentence 2
An anti-authority attitude can be hazardous to safe flight when a pilot ignores air traffic control instructions during approach.