Pilotbug

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Posts Tagged Pilot fatigue

Senate panel increases pressure on FAA’s fatigue solution

Dec 10

Posted by PilotBug in Airlines | Comments off

Randy Babbitt FAA

Randy Babbitt FAA

WASHINGTON, D.C.–In a letter to FAA Administrator Randolph (Randy) Babbitt, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Chairman of the Aviation Operations, Safety and Security Subcommittee Byron Dorgan (D-ND), and Ranking Member of the Aviation Operations, Safety and Security Subcommittee Jim DeMint (R-SC) joined together along with Senators Snowe, Kerry, Klobuchar, Lautenberg, Thune, Begich, and Johanns and wrote that the issue of pilot fatigue must be addressed.
Today, FAA Administrator Babbitt testified before the Aviation Operations, Safety and Security Subcommittee today at a hearing on Aviation Safety: Oversight of FAA Safety Initiatives.
The letter sent reads:
Dear Administrator Babbitt,
Aviation safety is the top priority for the Aviation Subcommittee, and we know this view is shared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  We look forward to your upcoming testimony at our hearing on FAA’s safety initiatives.
One of the topics we plan to address at the hearing is pilot fatigue.  The subcommittee recently held a hearing to examine this issue, which has been on the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Most Wanted List for 19 years.  The current FAA guidelines on flight time and duty limitations were set back in the 1940s.  It is critical that the FAA revise these rules as quickly as possible.

Although we appreciate the commitment you made in August to update these regulations, it was troubling to learn from the FAA at the hearing last week that the time frame for completing this process has already been delayed.  We expect the FAA to consider this issue a priority and to keep on a timeline that will update the regulations without more delay.

We look forward to discussing this and other important safety concerns at the hearing.

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NTSB recommends pilot screening for Sleep Apnea

Aug 17

Posted by PilotBug in Airlines | 1 Comment

The NTSB has issued several recommendations in response to the February 13th, 2008 incident involving two go! airline pilots falling asleep and overshooting the airport at Hilo, Hawaii.  Among them is to change the medical certificate application to specifically ask if the airman has sleep apnea and to identify high risk individuals.

According to the safety recommendation, studies have concluded that the go! airlines flight, operated by Mesa Airlines, wan not an isolated incident.  Information contained in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) revealed that from 1995 to 2007 there were 17 reported instances of at least one pilot falling asleep and in five of those, both pilots did.  In addition, NASA found that 80% of pilots from 26 regional airlines had “nodded off” at one time or another, according to those responding to a 1999 survey.

Concerning the NTSB is the disconnect between the general population prevalence of sleep apnea and the pilot group.  It is estimated that 7% of adults suffers from some form of sleep apnea, while only 0.5% of pilots holding a 1st Class medical  have indicated to the FAA.  One of the contributing factors to the go! airline’s captain falling asleep was his undiagnosed sleep apnea, causing increased daytime fatigue.

Several of the recommendation to the FAA are to:

1.  Change the Application for Airman Medical Certificate to ask specific questions regarding sleep apnea.

2. Develop and utilize a program to identify those who may be susceptible to sleep apnea to be evaluated and treated before granting an unrestricted medical certificate.

3. Conduct research on fatigue of short-haul operations.

4. Require short-haul operators to modify operations based on recommendations provided by the research identified by the above recommendation #3.

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FAA Head Concerned With Cockpit Experience

Aug 6

Posted by PilotBug in Airlines | 1 Comment

Randy Babbitt FAA

Randy Babbitt FAA

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, addressed ALPA’s annual Air Safety Forum and expressed concern for the quality of experience of captains in some of today’s airlines.

“There are some airlines out there with senior pilots who have three years under their belt, and, unlike back then — they are going right into jets, flying long days in some of the busiest airspace in the world.” Babbitt says in his speech, “I’m not saying that you’ve got to have 10 or 15 thousand hours before you’re worth your salt, but there is something to be said for having been flying around the system a few seasons.”

Babbitt continues and states that even these “seasoned” pilots must use their collective knowledge and mentor the rest of the pilot group to enhance safety.  “This needs to become part of our professional DNA. If you’ve got experience and you’re not sharing it, you’re doing a disservice to our profession.”

He also acknowledged the problem of fatigue and that the FAA is in the process of addressing it.  Flight-duty rules will be reconsidered after a study is completed by September 1st, where it will be submitted to the FAA.  It will then be passed to the DOT and after 90 days, sent for public comment.

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Congress Seeks to Upgrade Pilot, Hiring Requirements

Aug 2

Posted by Aviation Week & Space Technology on AviationWeek.com in Airlines | Comments off

Congress digs deep to upgrade airline safety in radical changes to flight crew job and training requirements

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Senate bill would mandate more research for pilot fatigue

Jul 22

Posted by PilotBug in Airlines | 3 Comments

Included in the Senate’s FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act is a provision which will address long sought after issues on pilot flight time, duty and rest.  It mandates that within 3 months of the enactment of the bill into law, the FAA, in conjunction with the Academy of Sciences, will conduct a study of pilot fatigue.

de Havilland Dash 8

de Havilland Dash 8

The study will include research on:

(1) research on fatigue, sleep, and circadian rhythms;
(2) sleep and rest requirements recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board; and
(3) international standards.

Within 18 months of the study, the Academy of Sciences will present the findings, along with recommendations for the FAA to implement in future rule-making in regards to flight time and rest requirements.

Also within this portion of the bill is a similar proposal to address flight attendant rest and fatigue to be conducted by the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute.

The push toward more defined rest rules was initiated by the crash in February of Continental Connection Flight 3407, which took 50 lives, including one on the ground. It has been speculated that fatigue may have been a contributing factor in the crash, as investigators tried to reconstruct the flight crew’s sleep and rest in the 24 hours prior to the flight.

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