Definition
An injury sustained by a person in an aircraft accident or incident that meets any of the following criteria: requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours, commencing within 7 days from the date the injury was received; results in a fracture of any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes, or the nose); causes severe hemorrhages, or nerve, muscle, or tendon damage; involves any internal organ; or involves second- or third-degree burns, or any burns affecting more than 5 percent of the body surface.
Plain English
A specific level of injury defined by the FAA and NTSB. It is more severe than a minor injury but not fatal, and meets at least one of several listed conditions such as long hospitalization, a broken bone, internal damage, or significant burns.
Context Anchor
Used when deciding whether an aircraft event must be reported as an accident because someone was seriously hurt.
Derivation
Serious comes from a Latin word meaning weighty or important. Injury comes from Latin roots connected with harm or damage. Together, the words sound ordinary, but in aviation reporting they point to a specific legal category of harm.
Why Pilots Care
Determines how an accident is officially classified, which affects investigations, insurance, and safety data analysis.
Intuition Check
Do not read serious injury as simply “an injury that seems serious.” In this context, it means an injury that meets specific reporting thresholds.
Example Sentence 1
Because the passenger's hospital stay exceeded 48 hours, the event met the definition of a serious injury and had to be reported to the NTSB.
Example Sentence 2
A broken femur is classified as a serious injury under the NTSB definition.