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What is Fatigue Fatigue can be defines as extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical illness. Fatigue also is the bodies reaction to a physical or mental stress of a prolonged duration.

Fatigue Fatigue is noted by aviation community for many years as having a strong impact on flight safety and efficiency. As length of fatigue increases, performance may decrease, consequently lead to aircraft mishaps.

Types of Fatigue There are TWO types of fatigue. ACUTE... short duration, recovered with good nights sleep. CHRONIC... occurs over a period long period of time, long recovery!

Acute fatigue – Results from repeating tasks during long flights or from numerous repetitive short flights – Very common – Healthy persons recover with rest / sleep – Symptoms Tiredness Lack of Energy Loss of coordination Inattention to details

Chronic fatigue – Occurs when recovery time is insufficient – Overlapping with factors of acute fatigue

Causes of Fatigue Lack of Restful Sleep- Unable to allow sleep to take over. Works too hard.-Body used up great deal of Energy. Dehydration- Body lose a large amount of water. Caffeine- Too much caffeine keeps the body in a high degree of alertness, even to the point of being tense (unable to relax).

Causes of Fatigue Long hours of working. Stress of high intensity. Large temperature variations. Noise and Vibration for long periods. STRONG lighting.

Symptoms of Fatigue Attention reduced- take longer time for decision making. Short memory loss -quickly forgot command given by ATC. Fixation- focus one thing only, ignore other important.

How to avoid Fatigue Sleep – Know personal requirements Physical conditioning – Exercise & recreation – Proper diet Wear & use protection stuffs – Hearing protection – Oxygen at altitude

How to avoid Fatigue Vary the routine Avoid dehydration – Water & snacks Personal concerns – Personal problems brought to work

Sleep  Our sleep/wake cycle is closely tied to our body temperature.  The duration and “quality” of sleep is dependent upon body temperature.  The important is the timing and quality of sleep, not the amount of sleep.

How much sleep do you really need? Sleep requirements vary dramatically among individuals. A minimum of 5 hours of uninterrupted “core” sleep is enough. Sleeping in excess of 10 hours may produce sleep habit.

Napping When sleep is not available or shortened by operational concerns, combat naps are an alternative. Even naps as short as 10 min are good to prevent the individual feeling more tired.

Human Performance Stress & Fatigue 12 am12 noon 12 am am3 - 5 pm Performance level + _

Human Performance Stress & Fatigue Generally, the lowest performance, alertness, and mood occur twice a day: from 3 am to 5 am, and to a lesser extent, again from 3 pm to 5 pm. During these time periods, errors are more likely to occur in judgment and reaction time.

Case Study There are many documented accidents happened due to pilot fatigue as the leading cause. One of them occurred in June 1999 fatal runway accident of American Airlines Flight 1420 in which a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 overran the end of the runway, and impacted approach light structures after landing at the Adams Field Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas. Thunderstorms and heavy rain were reported in the area at the time of the accident. There were 11 fatalities, including the aircraft captain, and numerous injuries among the 145 passengers and crew aboard the flight.

Stress & Fatigue Flight AA 1420 landing crash at Little Rock, AR June 1, 1999

Synopsis As the aircraft approached Runway 4R, a severe thunderstorm arrived over the airport. ATC inform the pilot that aircraft can’t landing due to poor visibility on a wet runway. With that information, plus two wind shear reports, the approach should have been cancelled at that point. But, the captain decided to continue his approach to Runway 4R.

Synopsis During their rush to land as soon as possible, both pilots became overloaded (stress & fatigue) with many important tasks. That led to errors. They failed to activate the automatic ground spoiler system. The pilots also failed to activate the auto braking system, to ensure the aircraft can stop on a wet runway.

Synopsis After landing, the first officer stated, "We're down. We're sliding." Neither pilot observed that the spoilers did not deploy, so there was no attempt to activate them manually. The result was almost no braking at all, because the wings were still "flying.“ Directional control was lost when the captain applied too much reverse thrust.

Synopsis The aircraft skidded off the far end of the runway at high speed Finally came to a stop on the banks of the Arkansas River.

Solutions for the Fatigue problems Fatigue in pilots can be reduced or eliminated with simple and practical steps perform by: 1)FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) 2)Airlines 3)Individual Crew Members

Solutions for the Fatigue problems 1) FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Laws. FAA should enforce laws concerning the conduct of airlines and pilots. FAA should regulates certain activities which may affect fatigue, such as alcohol, drug use and medical certification requirements.

WORK RULES FOR PILOTS Pilots can fly up to eight hours a day. A workday, which includes flight preparation time on the ground, can extend up to 16 hours. Pilots can fly up to 100 hours per month on domestic flights. Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Solutions for the Fatigue problems 2) Airlines Role The airline should reduce the chances of errors due to fatigue by providing good management in terms of crew working hours and flight schedule. Flight should be delay during the bad weather.

Solutions for the Fatigue problems 3) Individual Crew Members It is in their hands to take the necessary steps to remain safe and alert. Planning to get enough sleep before a trip is the most obvious step. Another step would be to eat properly and had an exercise. This will make the pilot healthier and more alert. They must drinking plenty of water, especially during a flight, and avoid coffee, sodas and alcohol. They can wear noise-reducing headsets if the cockpit is loud. They must stay home when they are ill, for their own sake and for their fellow crew members. Crew (pilot) should cancel the take-off or landing during the bad weather

One of the major causes of aircraft accident is crew fatigue. a)Define fatigue (2 Marks) b)Explain why fatigue can cause accident (6 Marks) a)How an airline can overcome this problem amongst its crew members. (7 Marks) Question