Abstract
The National Transportation Safety Board's airplane accident data for 1983–1995 were used to analyze accidents that involved physical or psychological health factors of pilots-anxiety, physical impairment, alcohol or drugs, pressure and fatigue. About 3.8% of the accidents involved one or more of the “health” factors. Among pilots younger than 45, alcohol/drugs and pressure were most common. The accidents of those aged 45-60 involved alcohol/drugs with about the same frequency as those of younger pilots but they also had an increased risk of physical impairment. Pilots over the age of 60 were less involved in crashes with alcohol/drugs, pressure and anxiety than younger pilots but more in those concerning physical impairment. Fatigue was mostly a factor in accidents of professional pilots.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.