PILOT FATIGUE

Compiled by
Suparnomo SPd. SSiT
 What is Pilot Fatigue?

"the state of tiredness that is associated with

long hours of work, prolonged periods
without sleep or the requirement to work at
times that are out of synch with the body's
biological or circadian rhythms” (Caldwell &
Caldwell, 2003, p.15 2).
• A circadian rhythm is any biological process which
displays an endogenous, entrainable oscillation of
about 24 hours. These rhythms are driven by (or
composed of) a circadian clock, and rhythms have
been widely observed in plants, animals, fungi and
cyanobacteria.
 Types of Fatigue

1. Acute Fatigue: Short-lived, often caused by

insufficient sleep

2. Chronic Fatigue: Develops slowly after longer

exposures to fatigue (Occupational Safety & Health Service,
1998 10).
 Causes of Pilot Fatigue
1. Inadequate sleep due to circadian or "biological
clock" disruptions associated with rotating work
and rest schedules and time zone transitions (shift
lag and jet lag). For example, during a layover a
pilot may attempt to sleep when his mind is telling
him to be awake and active and vice versa

2. Extended duty time or long periods of wakefulness

leading to increased sleep pressure
3. Night flights and early morning report times that
occur during normal periods of sleep. The human
brain is 'hard wired' to sleep during dark hours and
be awake and active during daylight hours also
known as the sleep-wake cycle. Scientific studies
have shown that pilot alertness is lowest and
circadian-induced fatigue is most pronounced
between 0300 and 0500 hours (Caldwell & Caldwell,
2003 2)

4. The requirement to sleep during daylight hours.

Sleep taken by night shift pilots during daylight
hours is more difficult to initiate and tends to be of
a shorter duration than night sleep (Caldwell & Caldwell,
2003 2).
5. Sleep restrictions related to short layovers

6. Pathological sleepiness or sleep disorders

such as sleep apnea and clinical insomnia

Sleep apnoea (or sleep apnea in American English); is a

sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in
breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing, during
sleep
Insomnia (or sleeplessness) is an individual's report of
sleeping difficulties
 Sleep apnea
Classification and external resources

Obstructive sleep apnea

7. High workload or taxing mental work
(especially relevant for short-haul pilots who
must perform a greater number of take-offs
and landings than long-haul pilots)

8. Mental boredom such as boredom associated

with long-haul flights when the autopilot is
engaged

9. Stress, anxiety or depression

10. Mild hypoxia (oxygen deficiency)

11. Poor nutrition. For example, dehydration, eating

too much causing excess body weight or not
eating leading to low blood sugar levels

12. Illness such as influenza (flu) and anemia (iron

deficiency)

13. Medication and alcohol (that reduce the quality of

sleep)
14. Intentional sleep restriction

15. Inadequate sleep due to uncomfortable

sleeping environments

16. Poor sleeping habits such as consuming

food immediately before bed and sacrificing
sleep for social activities

17. Intense and prolonged physical activity

 Inadequate Sleep
Inadequate sleep is the cause of 95 percent of
pilot fatigue cases (Caldwell & Caldwell, 2003 2).

Different individuals require different amounts

of sleep, most humans need an average of 8
hours of good quality continuous sleep in
every 24 hour period to avoid the onset of
fatigue (Campbell & Bagshaw, 1999 3; Ewing, 1993 6).
A reduction in sleep by as little as one hour
per sleep period can cause fatigue which can
become progressively more pronounced with
reduced sleep in subsequent periods
(cumulative sleep debt) (Occupational Safety & Health
Service, 1998 10)
Inadequate sleep
 Effects of Fatigue on Pilot Performance
Studies have shown that a cause and effect
relationship does exist between pilot fatigue and
vulnerability to pilot error (Walton, 2003 13).

Studies are supported by accident reports citing pilot

fatigue as a cause.
Examples include Korea Air flight 801 at Guam
International Airport in 1999 and American
International flight 808 at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in
1993 (Caldwell & Calwell, 2003 2; Dismukes, Berman &
Loukopoulos, 2007 5).
Pilot fatigue
Date August 6, 1997
Type Controlled flight into terrain
Site Nimitz Hill, Guam
Passengers 237
Crew 17
Injuries 26
Fatalities 228
Survivors 26
Aircraft type Boeing 747-3B5
Operator Korean Air
Tail number HL7468
Flight origin Gimpo International
Airport
Destination Antonio B. Won Pat
International Airport
Pilot fatigue
Date June 1, 1999
Type Pilot error
(Runway overrun)
Site Little Rock, Arkansas
Passengers 139
Crew 6
Injuries 110
Fatalities 11
Survivors 134
Aircraft type McDonnell Douglas MD-
82
Operator American Airlines
Tail number N215AA
Flight origin Dallas-Fort Worth
International Airport
Destination Little Rock National
Airport
Pilot fatigue
26 July 2002; FedEx
Express 727-200;
Flight 1478;
Tallahassee, FL: The
airplane was operating
from Memphis, TN, to
Tallahassee, FL. The
airplane crashed short
of the runway, and
was destroyed by a
post crash fire. All
three crewmembers
were seriously injured.
 The effects of fatigue on pilot
performance include:
1. Cognitive fixation or narrowing of attention
causing decreased ability to concentrate on more
than task or piece of information. Preoccupation
with one task at the neglect of other tasks leads to
loss of situational awareness

2. Reduced alertness and vigilance that may degrade

situational awareness through failures in
monitoring or scanning the flight environment
3. Feelings of indifference or carelessness to
operational performance or the outcome of
the flight leading to acceptance of lower
standards of performance

4. Reduced communications that may hamper

crew coordination and effective and efficient
Crew Resource Management practice

5. Increased reaction time or sensitivity to time

on task
6. Inconsistent performance

7. Short term memory loss and inability to recall

information from long term memory.
Diminished memory may cause a pilot to
forget important Air Traffic Control
information

8. Cognitive slowing causing an inability to

integrate information efficiently
9. Impaired judgment, logical reasoning and
decision making ability. For example, difficulty
processing critical information and choosing
among alternatives may lead to optimum
response decrements or degradations in
response accuracy

10. Increased feelings of difficulty in carrying

out flight activities. This may cause a pilot to
ignore important tasks due to the perception
that the tasks are too difficult to manage
11. Degradation in flying and perceptual-motor
skills such as hand-eye coordination

12. Impaired ability to judge performance of self

and performance of other crew members
leading to difficulty recognising performance
impairment and situation danger
13. Increased vulnerability to plan continuation
error where impaired ability to recognise
that a situation is deteriorating makes a
fatigued pilot slow to recognise that the
original plan of action is no longer
appropriate to the situation and must be
changed

14. Reduced visual perception

15. Loss of initiative or disinclination for effort

16. Personality or mood changes such as

irritability and depression that may deter
crew coordination and communication

17. Microsleeps causing brief disengagement

from the flight environment
 Strategies to Manage Pilot Fatigue
In commercial aviation, pilot fatigue is (partially)
controlled by:
1. Flight and duty time limitations imposed by
regulators (Campbell & Bagshaw, 1999 3)

2. Companies that commit to not putting pilots in the

position of having the fly fatigued (Dismukes et al, 2007 5)

3. Training programs that educate both pilots and

managers in understanding and combating fatigue
(Dismukes et al, 2007 5)
• However, in all situations if a pilot considers that he
or she is too fatigued to fly safely then he or she
should act responsibly and choose not to fly.
Furthermore, pilots must ensure that they take
adequate rest periods and do not exceed the flight
and duty time limitations imposed by the regulator.
 FAA Publishes New Pilot Rest
Requirements

The new rules limit pilot duty time to nine or as

many as 14 hours, depending on several factors
that can add to fatigue.

Duty will be restricted depending on what time

of day the flight originates.
Actual flight time, including all time when the
airplane is moving under its own power, will
be limited to eight or nine hours.

The required rest period between duty days is

extended to 10 hours, and pilots must be
assured they have the opportunity for at least
an eight-hour period of uninterrupted sleep.
One of the most fundamental changes in the
new rule is that pilots must sign a statement
before each duty period attesting that they
are not fatigued and are “fit” and ready to fly.
If a pilot cannot sign the statement, the airline
must provide a replacement pilot
One of the major considerations is the time of
day a pilot goes on duty. For example, if the
duty day starts between midnight and 4 in
the morning for the pilot’s “acclimated” time,
the duty limit is nine hours because studies
show fatigue risks are greater at that time. But
if the duty day begins at seven in the
morning, the duty day can stretch out to 14
hours.
Another factor in determining fatigue risks is the
number of flight segments during the duty day,
and time zones crossed. The previous rule did not
consider the circadian issues of late night and very
early morning flights and treated all duty periods
the same.

There are also new cumulative flight hour limits for

weekly, monthly, and annual maximums. And a
pilot must have at least 30 uninterrupted hours off
during any weekly duty period.
 Outside Flight and Duty Periods

1. Obtain 8 consolidated hours of sleep on a daily basis

2.Practice good sleep hygiene techniques to encourage

the onset of good quality sleep:
- Develop a regular pre-sleep routine
- Avoid consumption of caffeinated and alcoholic
beverages 4-6 hours before bedtime
- Avoid eating or drinking heavily before bedtime
- Avoid non-sleep conducive behaviours in the bedroom
such as arguments
- Ensure a comfortable bed and sleeping
environment (for example, ensure room is dark,
quiet and at a comfortable temperature)
- Avoid emotional stress, excessive mental
stimulation or intense physical exercise
immediately before bedtime
- Promote sleep through light reading, relaxation
techniques (such as yoga or meditation) and
consumption of a warm milky drink or light snack
(if hungry)
3. Maintain a healthy well-balanced diet and
regular physical exercise

4. Practice stress reduction techniques to

prevent stress-related fatigue

5. Achieve better life organization. For example,

effectively structure life around shift work by
adopting strict and consistent sleep-wake
regimes and making arrangements with
family members
6. Refrain from engaging in intense physical
activity immediately prior to a duty period

7. Use short-life sleeping pills as a final resort to

counteract shift lag and jet lag and help to
resynchronise the sleep cycle (Campbell & Bagshaw,
1999 3).

Sleeping pills should only be taken by a pilot if

absolutely necessary, following consultation
with his or her Aviation Medical Examiner
 During Flight and Duty Periods
1. Alternate periods of activity and relaxation during
flight or rotate flight tasks

2. Engage in social conversation with other crew

members

3. Organise and delegate tasks to reduce mental

workload

4. Practice arm and leg stretching or contract and

relax muscles during flight (to maintain alertness)
5. Move about the cabin if possible

6. Consume moderate amounts of caffeine if desir

7. Consume food and water regularly to provide the

body with energy and prevent the onset of fatigue
caused by low blood sugar levels and dehydration

8. Engage in pre-planned naps in multi pilot cockpit

environments (where regulations and airline
policies permit)