Alcohol-Related Aviation Accidents Involving Pilots With Previous Alcohol Offenses

摘要

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires airmen to report legal actions involving ethanol and/or other drugs, including driving while impaired by or while under the influence of alcohol. Pilots are also required to report any administrative action resulting in denial, suspension, cancellation, or revocation of driving privileges or mandatory attendance at an educational or rehabilitation program. The purpose of this study was to evaluate fatal civil aviation accidents between the years 2000 and 2007 in which ethanol was present in the pilot, and the pilot had previously documented drug and/or alcohol offenses and/or dependence. Toxicological and aeromedical findings from pilots were collected for an 8-year period, 2000 - 2007. Case histories, accident information, and the probable cause of the accidents were obtained from the National Transportation Safety Board. Toxicological information was obtained from the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute's Forensic Toxicology Research Laboratory. During the examined time period, 215 pilots (9%) of the 2,391 received for analysis had documented alcohol- or drug-related offenses. Of the 215 pilots, 23 (11%) had consumed ethanol prior to the fatal incident. Of these 23 pilots, 16 (approximately 70%) had ethanol concentrations above the FAA's legal limit of 40 mg/dL and 7 (approximately 30%) between 20 and 40 mg/dL. Providing more detailed documentation to aviation medical examiners would aid in the determination of eligibility for medical certification and could potentially save pilots as well as their passengers' lives. Identifying pilots with substance abuse problems is paramount for providing a safe environment to fly but also benefits the pilots who may not have addressed these issues.