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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Analysis of changes in the pilot population and general aviation accidents.

General Aviation pilots have been involved in a steadily decreasing number of accidents over the past 20 years. Changes in the age distribution, certification, and flying habits of these pilots make direct comparison of accident statistics inaccurate. This study reviews changes in the pilot population over the past 20 years to analyze their impact on accident statistics. Pilot age and certificate distributions from 1968 to 1987 were assembled from annual Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) surveys. Information about pilots involved in accidents was collected from annual National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports. Trends in pilot age distribution, certification, aircraft use, flight planning, and weather were reviewed. The accident experience from the first 5 years of the study period was used to construct an adjusted plot of expected aircraft accidents. From 1968-87, the mean pilot age increased from 35 to 40 years and the number of pilots over the age of 60 increased five-fold. The number of pilots with Air Transport Pilot (ATP) certification tripled and instrument certification increased 80%. Accidents where an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan was filed increased from 3.6% to 6.6% without a corresponding increase in the number of accidents in weather at or below instrument meteorologic conditions (IMC). The accident experience from 1968 to 1973 predicted 116,000 accidents from 1968 to 1987. The actual number of accidents was 40% less than predicted. The average pilot age has increased both due to more pilots over the age of 50 and less young student pilots.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Accidents, Aviation↗
PubMed2003

Characteristics and toxicological processing of postmortem pilot specimens* from fatal civil aviation accidents.

INTRODUCTION: Autopsied biosamples from civil aviation accident pilot fatalities are submitted to the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) for toxicological evaluation. However, such evaluation is dependent on types and amounts of submitted samples, and obtaining suitable samples is governed by the nature of the accident. Characteristics of those samples and associated toxicological processing have not been well documented in the literature. METHOD: Therefore, the CAMI Toxicology Database was searched for these aspects. RESULTS: CAMI received samples from the pilot fatalities (CAMI cases) of approximately 80% of the 1990-2000 aviation accidents reported by the National Transportation Safety Board. Accidents and cases during June-September were higher than the other months, and more than half of the received cases had multiple samples in sufficient amounts. For example, out of 1891 cases processed for the 1996-2000 accidents, 1211 had at least adequate amounts of blood, urine, and/or vitreous humor; 324 had inadequate amounts of blood and urine; and 356 had no blood or urine. Muscle, liver, lung, and/or kidney samples were submitted in 90% of the cases, while cerebrospinal fluids were submitted in only 8% of the cases. The toxicologically preferred samples, blood and urine, were available in 78% and 56% of the 1891 cases, respectively. Out of 51 cases containing only one sample type, 46 had muscle and the remaining 5 had other sample types. Samples were primarily analyzed for combustion gases, alcohol/volatiles, and drugs. Generally, the presence of analytes is demonstrated in at least two different sample types by using two different analytical techniques for reporting a particular case as "positive." An effective quality-assurance/quality-control is maintained throughout the process. CONCLUSION: In the majority of the aviation accidents, sufficient amounts and types of biological samples were submitted for toxicological evaluation.

Accidents, Aviation↗
PubMed2001

Fatal aviation accidents in Lower Saxony from 1979 to 1996.

So far no national or regional studies have been published in Germany regarding the number of fatal aviation accidents and results of autopsy findings. Therefore, we evaluated all fatal aviation accidents occurring in Lower Saxony from 1979 to 1996. A total of 96 aviation accidents occurred in this period involving 73 aeroplanes. The crashes resulted in the death of 154 people ranging in age from 19 to 68 years. The greatest number of victims in a single crash of an aircraft was (n=7). Other types of fatal accidents were crashes of aircraft and helicopter while on the ground (n=5), hot-air balloons (n=2), parachutes (n=10), hang glider accidents (n=5) and the striking of a bystander by a model airplane. Autopsies were performed on 68 of the 154 victims (44.2%), including 39 of the 73 pilots (53.4%). Some of the autopsies yielded findings relevant to the cause of the accident: gunshot wounds, the presence of alcohol or drugs in blood and preexisting diseases. Our findings emphasize the need for autopsy on all aviation accident victims, especially pilots, as this is the only reliable method to uncover all factors contributing to an accident.

Accidents, Aviation↗