Journal article
Health-Related Factors Among Pilots in Aviation Accidents
Aerospace medicine and human performance, Vol.95(2), pp.79-83
02/01/2024
DOI: 10.3357/AMHP.6345.2024
PMID: 38263099
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Health-related factors can impact aviation safety. This study investigated the published, historical aviation accidents that have been investigated by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to understand medical conditions and medication use that have been determined to be causal to mishaps.
METHODS: A two-part approach was adopted for this study: 1) a scoping review was conducted to provide an overview of the current medical literature addressing medical factors and flight safety; and 2) a comprehensive review of aviation accident reports from the NTSB database from January 2013 to October 2022.
RESULTS: The literature review demonstrated that psychiatric, cardiovascular, and neurological medications were the major categories of medications reported in fatal aircraft accidents. Age was not found to be a risk factor. Review of the NTSB database demonstrated that, among 15,654 mishaps, medical factors were associated in 703 (4.5%) accidents. NTSB data showed that cardiovascular (1.3%), psychiatric (0.23%), and endocrine diseases (0.17%) were the most commonly reported diseases among pilots. In accident reports, cardiovascular medications (1.49%), sedating antihistamines (0.91%), and alcohol (0.70%) were the most commonly used medications at the time of the accidents.
DISCUSSION: Health-related factors were a small yet likely underestimated proportion of the factors associated with accidents. Cardiovascular diseases and treatment were the most important factors. It is important to continue to investigate the association between health-related factors and the commission of mishaps.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Health-Related Factors Among Pilots in Aviation Accidents
- Creators
- Ye Zhu - University of Nevada, Las VegasMichael E. Wolf - University of Nevada, Las VegasReem A. Alsibai - University of Nevada, Las VegasAlzhraa S. Abbas - University of Nevada, Las VegasYahya Alsawaf - University of Nevada, Las VegasSamer Saadi - University of Nevada, Las VegasMagdoleen H. Farah - University of Nevada, Las VegasZhen Wang - University of Nevada, Las VegasM. Hassan Murad - University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Aerospace medicine and human performance, Vol.95(2), pp.79-83
- DOI
- 10.3357/AMHP.6345.2024
- PMID
- 38263099
- NLM abbreviation
- Aerosp Med Hum Perform
- ISSN
- 2375-6314
- eISSN
- 2375-6322
- Number of pages
- 5
- Grant note
- Mayo Clinic (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100000871)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/01/2024
- Academic Unit
- Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9985177933502771
Metrics
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