Details:

Creators:
Chaturvedi, A. K. ; Soper, J. W. ; Craft, K. J. ; Hickerson, J. S. ; Rogers, P. B.
Chaturvedi, A. K. ; Soper, J. W. ; Craft, K. J. ; Hickerson, J. S. ; Rogers, P. B. Less -
Corporate Creators:
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Corporate Contributors:
United States. Office of Aerospace Medicine
Subject/TRT Terms:
[+]
Aircraft Crash Victims Air Pilots Air Transportation Crashes Fatalities Toxicology
Publication/ Report Number:
DOT/FAA/AM-11/21
Resource Type:
Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:
United States
Corporate Publisher:
United States. Office of Aerospace Medicine
Abstract:
"Biological samples collected from fatally injured pilots in aviation accidents involving all types of aircraft, including

amateur-built aircraft, are submitted to the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) for accident investigation.

These samples are analyzed for fire gases, ethanol, and drugs. Trends of amateur-built aircraft accidents and

toxicological findings in the associated pilot fatalities have not been examined. Amateur-built aircraft accidents that

occurred during 1990–2009 were evaluated by retrieving necessary information from the CAMI toxicology

database. Probable cause and factor in the amateur-built aircraft mishaps were obtained from the National

Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB's) aviation accident database. Of 6309 aviation accidents from which CAMI

received postmortem samples, 979 (16%) were related to amateur-built aircraft. The highest number of aviation

mishaps occurred during summer, which was true with amateur-built as well as with all other aircraft. There was a

decreasing trend in accidents of non-amateur-built aircraft, whereas there was an increasing trend in accidents of

amateur-built aircraft. In the 979 accidents (pilots), 392 were positive for ethanol and/or drugs. Ethanol was found

in 29 pilots, drugs in 345, and ethanol plus drugs in 18. For ethanol/drug-related accidents also, a decreasing trend

was observed with non-amateur-built aircraft and an increasing trend with amateur-built aircraft. Of the 392

amateur-built aircraft, 388 (99%) were flying under the general aviation category. In the 392 pilots, 238 (61%)

held private pilot flying certificates and 260 (66%) third-class airman medical certificates. The spectrum of drugs

found in the amateur-built aircraft accident pilot fatalities was consistent with commonly used drugs in the general

population. The percentage of pilots wherein prescription drugs were detected was 26% for amateur-built aircraft,

whereas it was 16% for non-amateur built aircraft and 18% for all aircraft. Ethanol/drug use and medical

condition were determined to be a cause or factor in 42 (11%) of the 385 ethanol/drug-positive amateur-built

aircraft accidents investigated by the NTSB. However, the contributory role of the mechanical malfunction of

home-built aircraft cannot be ruled out in the observed increasing trends in their accidents, with or without

ethanol and/or drugs. The increasing trend of such accidents is of significant concern."


Format:
PDF
Funding:
Approved task AM-B-11-TOX-202.
Collection(s):
US Transportation Collection FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:d6142bcb6210f3a3211da317a8ae19b5bb53e16becf9ab7ff01490db4ceb9449
Download URL:
https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/23689/dot_23689_DS1.pdf
File Type:

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