Definition
The outcomes that result if an identified risk actually occurs during a flight or maintenance operation, ranging from minor inconvenience to loss of life or aircraft. In risk management, consequences are evaluated for severity so the overall risk level can be judged and managed.
Plain English
What would actually happen — and how bad it would be — if a particular risk turned into a real problem.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation risk-management discussions when a learner, instructor, pilot, or maintenance technician is thinking through a flight, lesson, or maintenance task before doing it.
Derivation
Consequence comes from the Latin consequi, meaning 'to follow after.' A consequence is what follows from something — here, what follows if the risk plays out.
Why Pilots Care
Helps pilots judge whether the possible results of a risk justify accepting it or taking steps to reduce it before flying.
Intuition Check
Do not read “consequences” here as punishment or blame. In this context, it means the possible outcomes that could follow from a risk, especially how serious they would be.
Example Sentence 1
When evaluating the flight, the pilot noted that the consequences of an engine failure over mountainous terrain were far more serious than over flat farmland.
Example Sentence 2
Before departure the pilot reviewed the risk consequences of a high density altitude takeoff, including longer ground roll and reduced climb rate.