Definition
An occurrence, other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft that affects or could affect the safety of operations. An incident does not involve serious injury or substantial aircraft damage; if it did, it would be classified as an accident.
Plain English
Something happened during a flight or aircraft operation that affected safety, or could have, but no one was seriously hurt and the aircraft wasn't badly damaged. If injury or damage had been serious, it would be called an accident instead.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation safety reports, required reporting rules, maintenance records, and discussions after an unusual or unsafe event.
Derivation
From the Latin 'incidere,' meaning 'to fall upon' or 'to happen.' In aviation, it keeps that everyday sense of 'something that happened' but is given a narrower, defined meaning by regulation.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must recognize and report qualifying incidents to meet regulatory requirements and support safety data collection.
Intuition Check
Incident does not mean just any small event or inconvenience. In aviation, it means an aircraft-related event with an actual or possible safety effect, and it is separate from an accident.
Example Sentence 1
The near miss on the taxiway was reported as an incident, since no one was injured and neither aircraft was damaged.
Example Sentence 2
A minor hydraulic leak discovered after landing was classified as an incident and entered into the safety log.