| With more than 250 air crashes in the last 15 years | | | | a contributing factor saying, "just because the crew |
| linked to pilot fatigue or sleep deprivation issues, it | | | | was fatigued, that doesn't mean it was a factor in |
| seems our own Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) as | | | | their performance." Sleep deprivation studies have |
| well as the National Transportation Safety Board | | | | proven that performance levels and response speeds |
| (NTSB) have been asleep in their administrative | | | | for sleep deprived individuals are equivalent or worse |
| duties. A March 11, 2010 article from WBZTV | | | | than blood alcohol levels of 0.05%. A British Medical |
| discloses that data "collected from NASA, the FAA, | | | | Journal study concluded that fatigue does affect |
| and the NTSB showed that "over the past five years | | | | performance, finding that, "getting less than 6 hours |
| there have been 689 incidents where pilot fatigue | | | | a night can affect coordination, reaction time, and |
| caused a safety concern or a crash." Documents tell | | | | judgment" and poses "a very serious risk" to drivers." |
| of pilots nodding off on approaches and even landing | | | | The NTSB , like the FAA, chooses to ignore the |
| on the wrong runways or taxiways. Pilots are | | | | fatigue and sleep deprivation issues jeopardizing the |
| sometimes allowed to work 16 hours in a day, | | | | air safety they are charged to protect. |
| though only eight can be in the cockpit. One retired | | | | While air transport safety boards and accident |
| commercial airline pilot admitted, "I can remember | | | | investigators overlook fatigue and sleep deprivation |
| more than one time waking up while we were in | | | | as a cause of human error disasters, Air New Zealand |
| route. I had been asleep, looking at the clock, looking | | | | has been monitoring and analyzing fatigue, sleep, and |
| at the watch, I had been asleep for 20 minutes, 30 | | | | fatigue countermeasures since 1998. "Air New |
| minutes." | | | | Zealand was one of the first airlines in the world to |
| Despite the uptick in reports of fatigue and sleep | | | | introduce a policy for controlled rest on the flight |
| linked accidents, all we continue to hear from the | | | | deck (cockpit napping)." The policy was supported by |
| FAA and the NTSB are empty promises of coming | | | | the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand. It allows |
| changes. In June of 2009 Randy Babbitt (current FAA | | | | for a fatigued crew member to take a 45 minute |
| Administrator) pledged to change pilot regulations, | | | | nap after a briefing of the crew members as to time |
| most of which have been in effect since the 1940s. | | | | of waking. "No course changes, altitude changes or |
| He told reporter Nancy Cordes in her article for CBS | | | | fuel transfers are permitted during this period." The |
| News, "We're gonna have a tough decision to make | | | | napping is only permitted for 2, 3, and 4=person |
| and I don't mind making it." The only recent change | | | | crews. The fatigue management program has full |
| to policy has been his approval for pilots to use | | | | support of airline management and union groups. |
| antidepressant medications on the job. The most | | | | Fatigue report forms from pilots detailing excess |
| common side effects of antidepressants are | | | | fatigue, possible causes and remedies are passed to |
| drowsiness, dizziness and sleep problems, including | | | | Flight Operations management for possible action or |
| insomnia. Mr. Babbitt feels that "culture change" and | | | | comment and are then analyzed by a Flight Crew |
| tolerance for those afflicted with depression are | | | | Fatigue Study Group (FCFSG) monthly. The group |
| more important than the safety of the millions flying | | | | looks for patterns and problems with particular duties |
| the skies. The FAA's mission statement is "to provide | | | | and routes. |
| the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the | | | | Pilots participating in studies wear a "Sleepwatch" on |
| world." The FAA's vision statement is "to improve the | | | | the wrist. The sleepwatch measures wrist activity. It |
| safety and efficiency of flight. We are responsive to | | | | provides information on "timing and quality of sleep." |
| our customers and are accountable to the taxpayer | | | | Three questionnaires are utilized in-flight. Fatigue |
| and the flying public." The recent antidepressant | | | | Visual Analogue Scales rate how pilots feel. A Profile |
| policy change as well as the continued delay in | | | | of Mood States asks pilots to score certain words |
| amending pilot work hour regulations seriously conflict | | | | based on their moods. The Stanford Sleepiness Scale |
| with the FAA's stated mission and vision objectives. | | | | scores word pictures of the individual's fatigue |
| While our own FAA and NTSB are asleep at the | | | | feelings. The questionnaires are short and only require |
| "stick", allowing the airlines to continue to overwork | | | | a few minutes of their time. The pilots then take a |
| their pilots, most of the international safety boards | | | | quick test called the Psychomotor Vigilance Task in |
| are joining them in the bunkhouse. The CBC in | | | | which they have to extinguish a randomly flashing |
| Canada reported in a March 2010 article that | | | | light in a small box by pushing a button using his or |
| "Twenty-eight people have died in a dozen plane | | | | her thumb. The notebook sized black box measures |
| crashes across Canada over the past decade in | | | | and records performance and alertness rankings. |
| which fatigue was cited as a possible factor." The | | | | More importantly it measures "lapses" which took |
| Canadian Transportation Safety Board reports note | | | | more than 500 milliseconds to accomplish. The FCFSG |
| "pilot-fatigue-related issues in six deadly crashes and | | | | has taken the data from these studies and has |
| in an additional six accidents – including the Air | | | | modified "flight and duty time limitations that are |
| France crash in Toronto – where all on board | | | | considered safe and acceptable on the basis of |
| survived." Canadian regulations allow pilots to be on | | | | reliable data." The group hopes to go pro-active in |
| duty for 14 hours, or 17 in "unforeseen | | | | the future to advise tours of duty before they are |
| circumstances." Barry Wiszniowski, a pilot and | | | | introduced instead of modifying them after studies |
| expert with the Air Canada Pilots Association, says | | | | and reports have been completed. The FCFSG has |
| this about regulations in Canada, "Ours haven't been | | | | decided to forgo the marketing of their system and |
| modified since 1995 and prior to that in the | | | | they have opened it to the public domain "for the |
| ‘40s."Martin Eley, head of civil aviation at | | | | betterment of flight safety in the International |
| Transport Canada, after initially dismissing pilot fatigue | | | | Aviation Community." |
| complaints from unions, says, "we've certainly moved | | | | On March 22, 2010 the United States Senate |
| on…in June, we are tabling the terms of reference | | | | unanimously passed the FAA Air Transportation |
| for a working group to actually start looking at the | | | | Modernization and Safety Improvement Act (S.1451) |
| current science and looking at where we need to | | | | by a margin of 93-0. Chairman Rockefeller made |
| update our regulations." He noted that "it will likely | | | | airline safety a "top priority in the bill." It requires the |
| take a couple of years before the rules change." A | | | | FAA to "revise the flight and duty time regulations |
| 2001 study recommended six changes to work | | | | for commercial air carrier pilots and issue the final rule |
| regulations. Four of the six were ignored by | | | | within one year to address pilot fatigue. The existing |
| Transport Canada. The changes were to address | | | | FAA guidelines on flight time and duty limitations |
| duty schedules relative to circadian rhythm effects | | | | were established in the 1940s without significant |
| on sleep. | | | | modification." Chairman Rockefeller in a press release |
| Drew Dawson, an expert on fatigue in the | | | | of December 2009 said, "Addressing pilot fatigue is |
| workplace, makes the frightening statement: | | | | an issue for which it has taken far too long to |
| "There's nothing like a smoking hole in the ground to | | | | achieve meaningful reform. The travelling public |
| address attention." | | | | deserves a better effort to make certain any plane |
| Pilot Kent Wien, in Gadling.com, accused the NTSB of | | | | on which they fly has an alert and well rested flight |
| "glossing over fatigue" as the cause of the Colgan Air | | | | crew." |
| crash in Buffalo, New York last year. They placed | | | | Fatigue, sleep deprivation, and their effects on our |
| total blame on the pilot's inabilty to properly handle a | | | | safety in the air have been sufficiently documented. |
| stall. The crash killed 50 people and the NTSB | | | | It is time for the FAA, the NTSB, and their partnered |
| overlooked the fact that both the pilot and the | | | | agencies across the globe to wake up and to follow |
| co-pilot had little sleep in the 24 hours prior to their | | | | the lead of New Zealand Air. Millions of lives are at |
| flight. They placed total blame on inadequate flight | | | | stake. They should not need any more "smoking |
| simulator training. Robert Sumwalt, one of the NTSB | | | | holes in the ground" to wake up from the sleep |
| investigators in the case, refused to allow fatigue as | | | | paralysis that's been plaguing them for years. |