pilot fatigue and its role in aviation safety

Pilot Fatigue and its role in Aviation Safety

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ABSTRACT

The aim of this is to observe the growing concern of pilot fatigue and the role it plays in aviation safety . A brief assessment of the effects and possible solution to this problem will be carried out . A mention of some of the incidents from the past will also find its place in this

Introduction

Aviation industry is on a growing spree and in the times to come there are

going to be more and more airlines filling the sky . As we move steps further towards globalization we are going to need this service more frequently which further increases the pressure on our airlines . To tackle with this situation , especially when the availability of trained pilots is less than required , the pilots are forced to fly more frequently and for longer hours . This causes physical as well as mental stress to buildup as a result of which the efficiency of pilots decreases . This non-pathologic state resulting in physical and mental stress is known as `Fatigue . Human body is always in need of rest , especially in the form of sleep , after regular intervals of time Any lack in the required rest causes fatigue to be developed in one 's body . Due to fatigue there can be a feeling of sleeplessness , tiredness or exhaustion in a person . This feeling if effective during flight hours can be really dangerous not only for the pilot but also for the lives of the passengers traveling with him and can cause accidents . The only solution to this problem that has been known so far and will ever be known in the times to come is sufficient amount of sleep . This unfortunately is what the pilots are not getting these days and are not expected to get at least in the near future

The findings from the past have shown that fatigue was responsible for a large number of aviation accidents . According to a study carried out by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB ) of flight accidents related to flight crew in US from 1978 to 1990 , one of the findings related the accidents to fatigue by stating that Half the captains for whom data were available had been awake for more than 12 hours prior to their accidents . Half the first officers had been awake for more than 11 hours . Crews comprising captains and first officers whose time since awake was above the median for their crew position made more errors overall , and significantly more procedural and tactical decision errors (Strauss , n .d

Sleep and Sleep Loss

It is essential for a human body to get the required amount of sleep . Sleep is considered to be an essential ingredient of our life without which it is not possible to survive . Whenever a person does not get enough sleep a signal is sent by brain to the body which results in Sleepiness . Eyelids start to get heavier and...