Relationship between Brazilian airline pilot errors and time of day

Abstract

Flight safety is one of the most important and frequently discussed issues in aviation. Recent accident inquiries have raised questions as to how the work of flight crews is organized and the extent to which these conditions may have been contributing factors to accidents. Fatigue is based on physiologic limitations, which are reflected in performance deficits. The purpose of the present study was to provide an analysis of the periods of the day in which pilots working for a commercial airline presented major errors. Errors made by 515 captains and 472 copilots were analyzed using data from flight operation quality assurance systems. To analyze the times of day (shifts) during which incidents occurred, we divided the light-dark cycle (24:00) in four periods: morning, afternoon, night, and early morning. The differences of risk during the day were reported as the ratio of morning to afternoon, morning to night and morning to early morning error rates. For the purposes of this research, level 3 events alone were taken into account, since these were the most serious in which company operational limits were exceeded or when established procedures were not followed. According to airline flight schedules, 35% of flights take place in the morning period, 32% in the afternoon, 26% at night, and 7% in the early morning. Data showed that the risk of errors increased by almost 50% in the early morning relative to the morning period (ratio of 1:1.46). For the period of the afternoon, the ratio was 1:1.04 and for the night a ratio of 1:1.05 was found. These results showed that the period of the early morning represented a greater risk of attention problems and fatigue.

Sleep complaints and fatigue of airline pilots

“…SM-H pilots can experience relatively high levels of fatigue, and its major causes are long duty periods and early starts [7] . Something that characterizes fatigue, namely in airline pilots, are the increasing number of lapses or even errors that may jeopardize flight safety [8] . A study with Brazilian airline pilots where the relationship between errors and time of day was established, showing that the early morning period represented a greater risk of attention problems and fatigue comparing to the morning, afternoon and night periods [8] .…”

Interrupções e distrações na sala de cirurgia do trauma: entendendo a ameaça do erro humano

“…According to the Flight Safety Foundation, the omission of an action or inadequate action is the most common causal factor of accidents and incidents 23 .…”

Optimizing the operating theatre environment

“…The morning superiority of the latter tasks has been attributed to a lower circadian arousal level and less influence of fatigue. The risk of airline pilot error was increased by almost 50% during the period of the early morning (24.00 to 6.00 hours) in one study 102 . This was attributed to attention problems and fatigue.…”

“…The risk of airline pilot error was increased by almost 50% during the period of the early morning (24.00 to 6.00 hours) in one study. 102 This was attributed to attention problems and fatigue. Anaesthetic studies have reported a higher rate of adverse effects for procedures starting in the afternoon or night.…”