An empirical investigation of the relationship between alcohol and drug-related motor vehicle convictions and pilot flying performance.

摘要

The purpose of this research is first to merge separate databases obtained by the Federal Aviation Administration. Then this consolidated database is used to statistically examine the relationship between alcohol-related motor vehicle convictions (DWI), and pilot flying performance.;The pilot population in this study consists of professional aviators that fly for hire. A total of 70,164 pilot records are analyzed. Accidents and incidents from 1986-1992 are used as the measure of flying performance. Each pilot is classified as either (1) a major air carrier pilot, (2) a national air carrier pilot or (3) a regional, commuter or nonscheduled airline pilot. Both bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques are employed.;The majority of airline pilots have had neither accidents, incidents (1986-1992) nor DWI convictions. Of those pilots with DWI convictions, most are first time offenders. Aviators with DWI convictions are significantly younger than non-DWI pilots.;The safest airline pilot group is the major air carrier pilot, regardless of whether or not the pilot has a DWI. A regional, communter and nonscheduled airline pilot is ten times more likely to be involved in a 'pilot error' aviation accident than a pilot flying for a major airline.;For the regional, commuter and nonscheduled airline group, a statistically significant (p ;For the national air carrier pilots, no association is found between DWI convictions and aviation accidents or incidents. For the major air carrier pilots, the only statistically significant finding at the.05 level of significance is a relationship between DWI convictions and "pilot error" incidents. This is the first study to link DWI convictions with flying performance.