Pilot Fatigue and Stress - Essay Example

Pilot Fatigue and Stress 2 Abstract As the number of commercial airline operators increases, it is unbelievable that years of research on finding permanent solutions to the problem of pilot fatigue and stress are still not productive. Every time we hear of air mishaps or plane crashes, one would immediately wonder what was the state of the pilot’s mind prior to the accident. Was he/she healthy or mentally sane? This paper explores the different kinds of pilot fatigue and stress and highlights some of their causes. Also, comprehensive explanation is given about why the above-mentioned problems are considered to be very serious. In order to reduce the impacts of these problems, an Aviation Safety Program is developed from the perspective of an airline operator, with a great emphasis on how to successfully implement the safety program. Appropriate conclusions are given at the end of the paper. 3 Introduction The discussion about pilot fatigue and stress is as old as aviation itself. This problem has been given a serious consideration because of the monumental destruction it could cause. Some of the deadly plane crashes recorded in the history of aviation were as a result of the pilots losing concentration on their jobs, which is one of the characteristics of pilot fatigue and stress (Ragan 33). Therefore, to save lives and protect their businesses, airline operators have been working hard to fashion out an efficient safety strategy that would give confidence to their airlines in the eyes of the passengers (Ragan 21). Many studies have been carried out and different safety programs have been implemented. But the question still remains: what is the best approach to completely curb the menace of pilot fatigue and stress? Types of Pilot Fatigue and Stress Hawkins (49) analyzed three main kinds of pilot fatigue and stress: though they appear not separable from one another, since it is practically difficult to identify which of the fatigue is currently affecting a pilot’s performance at a particular period. These are muscular, mental and skill fatigue. As its name implied, muscular fatigue arises from over-exertion of physical power, which might cause serious pain in both arms’ and legs’ muscles. But this kind of fatigue could easily be cured by taking some rest or/and by application of balm. Mental fatigue occurs as a result of mental stress from to much brainstorming and exhaustion, while skill fatigue is defined as a gradual decline in performance owning to the pressure from a work that constantly requires 4 concentration and high level of skill (Hawkins 49). If not handled properly, both mental and skill fatigue could lead to nervous breakdown; and it could reduce the efficiency with which a pilot carries out his job. This kind of situation has been observed mostly in old pilots. The new pilots normally go about their jobs with new excitement that often compels them to do everything precisely. On the other hand, old pilots have become jaded and easily get bored with the daily routine because of fatigue and stress. For the purpose of clarity, this paper will concentrate only on the skill fatigue. Characteristics/Symptoms of Skill Fatigue The following are the common features or symptoms of skill fatigue: (I) Time Errors: A time error occurs when the pilot has lost its sense of timing. The pilot may have forgot the time to take off or to initiate a descent due to skill fatigue. (II) Neglecting side-tasks: The more a pilot gets accustomed to a particular plane, the less the attention he would pay to it. The pilot may forget some side-tasks before taking off or landing. This is a typical effect of skill fatigue. (III) Distractions: A little headache, discomfort and aches and noises could easily distract the pilot’s attention. (IV) Loss of Accuracy: It is also believed that loss of accuracy or perfect control of column and rudder may lead to a fatal crash. (V) Lackadaisical Attitudes: The mistakes of not paying serious attention to details, 5 under and over-controlling of the systems, and failures to scan sky and fixed vision may bring unprecedented calamity. In the same way, when pilots concentrate only on one part of the operations or signals and leaving the rest unattended to may cause serious problems. (VI) Self-Assessment: The pilot may not comprehend how deteriorating his/her performance had been without self-assessment. Skill fatigue makes the pilots believes that he/she knows everything about flying. And in the course of this, the pilot may leave different elements of operational sequence unconnected. (VII) Oblivion: Fatigue could make the pilot to be unaware of the accumulation of rather huge errors in pitch, roll and jaw. (VIII) Changes in Mood: Pilots suffering from fatigue always have changes in mood: sometime they could be lively and on alert to heed the signals; at times they could be slow and unresponsive to the signal beep. All the attributes highlighted above are perceptible on any pilot who is suffering from skill fatigue. But the worst scenario about this problem is that it is possible for the pilot affected by this matter not to personally realize he/she was having a problem. It would require periodic screening by the airline operation to detect any misbehavior, no matter how subtle, in its pilots. The outcomes of undetected skill fatigue have always been disastrous, causing plane crashes and wasting many precious lives. 6 The Danger of Pilot’s Skill Fatigue : A Case Study There is no better way to understand the danger of skill fatigue without analyzing how it led to a recent fatal plane crash in the United States. On June 1 1999, American Airlines Flight 1420 crashed after it overran the end of runway 4 R while landing at Little Rock National Airport, Arkansas (Krause 57). Despite their experiences of long-flying hours, the two pilots aboard were reportedly struck down with skill fatigue. According to the report filed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), prior to the accident, both pilots have been flying about 16 hours, and unable to coordinate their activities due to fatigue (Krause 57). Major Causes of Skill Fatigue Reinhart (2007, 227) explained some causes of skill fatigue: these include- (a) Long-duration Flights: Reinhart (2007, p.227) supported the opinion that long-duration flights could exert pressure on the pilot’s health and make him/her suffer some bouts of depression. No matter the amount of experience of a pilot, there is every possibility that constant flying over long distance could weaken the pilot’s perception ability; a problem that could cause a crash or other aviation accidents. (b) Lack of enough rest: It is customary that pilots should enjoy enough rest after engaging in a long-duration flight. But out self-pride and ego, some pilots agree to flying again in between rests. This situation could affect their quickness to respond to the signals; as there has been disconnection between the pilot’s mind and its environment (Reinhart 2007, p.227). This situation could be referred to as a state of “drowsiness” when the pilot realizes there is a problem, but couldn’t quickly bring himself/herself to solving the problem. (c ) Irregular Schedule: A pilot with irregular schedule may find himself/herself flying when he/she is supposed to stay at home and rest. As a result of this, the pilot might log in more night flights than day flight. Some pilots who find themselves in this circumstance often suffer from acute insomnia. Many problems are associated with sleeplessness: some of these include (I) a total nervous breakdown (ii) decline in performance if the insomnia persists for a long time (iii) loss of memory or the right thing to do and (iv) impairment of vigilance performance or vision blurring. The above-stated facts reveal that irregular schedule could rob pilots of relaxing rest. (d) Bad Flight Conditions: Pilots tend to be nervous when flying in some bad conditions. Examples of the uncomfortable situations include bad weathers and dangerous terrains. The desire to fly the aircraft through a turbulent weather might cause the pilot to experience some pressure, which could eventually translate into fatigue. (e) Rigor of flying: Working as a pilot requires some energy: because the rigor of the job demands persistent concentration using high degree of skill (Reinhart 2007, 227). Some of the signals work inter-dependently, and the pilot is expected to demonstrate quick response to them as they show up. Maintaining clear vision or vigilance requires a great deal of practice or familiarization with the system, 8 hence come the fatigue. Designing Appropriate Safety Programs to Combat Skill Fatigue Soekkha (1997, pp.85-99) realized that several factors must be addressed in order to design an efficient Aviation Safety Program. There should be special considerations for the human part of the aviation system as well as engineering and operational areas of the flying business. Soekkha (1997, pp. 85-99) strongly believed that any proposed safety procedures must be able to harness other important safety measures in aviation engineering and flying operations, leading to an integrated approach. However, this paper would expatiate more on the human aspect of the safety plans, and linking the other components as derivatives of the safety measures for the human part of the flying procedures, mainly the pilots. Then, what are the appropriate safety processes to combat pilot’s skill fatigue? Practically, the processes involved series of activities that are outlined below: (a) A regime of physical exercises: It has become a routine program that pilots are encouraged by their airlines to participate in physical exercises. Such physical activity was not only aimed at giving the pilots a stronger physique, but also help to strengthen their metabolic processes to fight acute airsickness. Airlines that have carried out this kind of workout have recorded encouraging results in the ability of their pilots to remain strong and determined mid-air. (b) Nutritional Requirements: Pilots are expected to follow a particular dietary 9 regulation. Airlines operators normally advise their pilots to eat regularly so as to prevent hypoglycemia, a medical problem leading to low blood sugar. This condition could cause diabetics in the pilots; a disease that had reportedly led to one or two plane crashes as the pilots suddenly expressed low blood pressure mid-air. Nutritional moderation, for a long time, has become one of the processes of aviation safety management. This include regulating the amount of alcohol pilots can consumer the night before their flights in order to prevent hang-over and a condition referred to as ‘psychic stress’. Pilots are usually advised to avoid dehydration, as this could affect the clearness of their vision. (c ) Operational procedures: It is quite helpful if pilots are placed on regular flight schedule. Most airline operators are drawing up feasible flight arrangements for their pilots that would allow them to have enough rest after each flight. Continuous flight has been fingered as the chief reason why pilots experience skill fatigue. Not only that, long-duration flights tend to exert much pressure on the ability of pilots to execute good judgement based on vigilance. Practically, it may be difficult for a pilot who has flown for hours on end to be able to sustain clear vision for a long period of time. In this case, such misjudgment may lead to plane crashes. Pilots should enjoy short breaks in between long flights, and they should be able to reject any call for flying while they are expected to relax. Some accidents have been reported owing to exhausted pilots manning the aircraft, relying on their egos and self-beliefs that were totally misleading. 10 (d) Modern Automation: The reports of increasing skill fatigue at several airlines have encouraged airline operators to invest on aircraft that possess high-tech modern automation. Using human-interface integrated systems provides a supporting structure for the network of signals in the cockpit which ordinary pilots suffering from skill fatigue may not have been able to quickly respond to. The current automation in use are of two phases: (I) Human-to-machine phase, which receives instructions from the pilots and transfer them to the aircraft’s system. (ii) Machine-to-machine phase occurs when the signals initiated by the pilots are relayed to the other section of the flight system. In case of eventuality, the machine-to-machine automation could reduce the extent of problems that could occur mid-air. (e) Pilot’s State of Mind: Nowadays, airline operators issue a manual that describes in what state of mind pilots should be before getting into the cockpits. They are always encouraged to leave personal anguish and other psychological concerns behind before stepping into the plane. The reason why this has been a very important tool of reducing pilot’s skill fatigues is to help them refreshed their minds to the task ahead of them. (f) Medication Watch: Some airline medical personnel lay emphasis on knowing the medical history of the pilots in order to detect if medicine that could cause fatigue have been used by the pilots. Some medicines ending in “ine” have been 11 found to have medicinal side-effects. Even though they are useful for curing illnesses on the ground, they may tend to be disastrous in high altitude as the pilots fly around. This is why it is becoming a major practice for airline operators worldwide to keep an eye on the medical history of their pilots. (g) In-flight conditions: Pilots are strongly advised to maintain appropriate in-flight conditions like temperature, oxygen-level and lighting. Excessive exposure to these conditions or reduction in their expected levels may constitute some in-flight problems that could increase pilots’ skill fatigue. Conclusion Pilots’ skill fatigue is no more a new thing in the aviation industry, but despite all efforts to stamp it out, pilots are still susceptible to this problem. The dangers associated with skill fatigue include poor flight performance, plane crashes and health impairment on the part of the pilots. On a serious note, using sophisticated automation has been helpful in reducing the casualties skill fatigue would have caused the aviation industry. This raises the concern that more are still needed to be done in the area of aviation safety programs in order to make both the operators and passengers happy and be confident to keep patronizing airlines for their travelling purposes. Implementing efficient safety procedures might be expensive, but airline operators should do their best in reducing the extent of accidents arising from pilots’ skill fatigue. 12 Works Cited Hawkins, Frank. Human Factor in Flight. Slough, England: Gower Technical Press, 1987. Print. Krause, Shari. Aircraft Safety: Accident Investigations, Analyses, and Applications. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2003. Print. Ragan, Bill. Lag: A Look at Circadian Desynchronization. North Carolina: Lulu, 2007. Print. Reinhart, Richard. Basic Flight Physiology. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2007. Print. Soekkha, Hans. Aviation Safety: Human Factors, System Engineering, Flight Operations, Economics, Strategies, Management. Netherlands: VSP, 1997. Print. Read More