When a PIREP is received, what information is documented?

• A. Pilot's name
• B. Type of aircraft
• C. Aircraft's registration number
• D. Aircraft's departure point

Answer: (B)

The main thing being captured in a PIREP is information about the aircraft involved, specifically the type of aircraft. This matters because the aircraft’s characteristics—size, performance, and onboard instrumentation—affect how weather phenomena are observed and reported. For example, turbulence reports, icing encounters, and visibility observations can be interpreted differently depending on whether the report comes from a small general aviation aircraft or a large jet, so identifying the aircraft type helps meteorologists and controllers understand and use the report accurately. Other details like the pilot’s name, the registration number, or the departure point aren’t the primary weather-focused data in a PIREP, so they aren’t the key information documented for this purpose.