FAA Instrument Rating Airplane (IRA)Weather and Weather ServicesMedium
A pilot receives the following PIREP during a briefing: "DEN UA /OV DEN090035/TM1435/FL080/TP C182/TB MOD/RM ICE LGT RIME". What information does this report provide?
- AA commercial airliner reported moderate turbulence and light rime ice while climbing through 8,000 feet near Denver
- BAn urgent PIREP was filed reporting severe icing conditions requiring immediate rerouting
- CA Cessna 182 at 800 feet reported moderate rime icing and light turbulence at Denver airport
- DA Cessna 182 at 8,000 feet reported moderate turbulence and light rime icing 35 NM on the 090 radial from Denver VOR at 1435Z
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. A Cessna 182 at 8,000 feet reported moderate turbulence and light rime icing 35 NM on the 090 radial from Denver VOR at 1435Z
Decoding: DEN UA = routine PIREP near Denver; /OV DEN090035 = location 35 NM on the 090° radial from DEN VOR; /TM1435 = time 1435Z; /FL080 = flight level 8,000 feet; /TP C182 = aircraft type Cessna 182; /TB MOD = moderate turbulence; /RM ICE LGT RIME = remarks noting light rime icing.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Misidentifies the aircraft type as a commercial airliner when TP C182 specifically denotes a Cessna 182.
- B. UA denotes a routine PIREP, not an urgent one (UUA), and the report shows light icing, not severe.
- C. Misreads FL080 as 800 feet and reverses the turbulence/icing intensities; FL is in hundreds of feet, so FL080 = 8,000 feet.
PIREP Decoding
Pilot reports (PIREPs) use standardized codes for location, time, altitude, aircraft type, and observed conditions like turbulence and icing.
- UA = routine PIREP, UUA = urgent PIREP
- FL = flight level in hundreds of feet (FL080 = 8,000 ft)
- /OV, /TM, /FL, /TP, /TB, /IC, /RM are standard PIREP element codes
Memory trick: OV-TM-FL-TP-SK-WX-TA-TB-IC-RM: 'Old Timers Fly The Sky With The Ice Report'