Lecture alcohol and flying Aviation Human Factor

Learning Outcomes At the end of this session, student should be able to: understand how bad alcohol could influence human body. aware about the percentage of aircraft accident under the influence of alcohol. recognize the critical effects that would be happens if alcohol is taken during or before flying process.

Introduction Facts about alcohol Alcohol is a sedative and addicting drug. Sedative means promoting calm or inducing sleep. Alcohol quickly impairs judgment and leads to behavior that can easily contribute to, or cause accidents.

Introduction Alcohol and Flying Any factor that impairs the pilot’s ability to perform the required tasks during the operation of an aircraft is an invitation for disaster. The use of alcohol is a significant self-imposed stress factor that should be eliminated from the cockpit. Self-imposed stress means stress that can be more easily managed. The ability to do so is strictly within the pilot’s control.

Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 91.17- Alcohol The use of alcohol and drugs by pilots is regulated by FAR 91.17. This regulation states that no person may operate or attempt to operate an aircraft: within 8 hours of having consumed alcohol while under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol content of 0.04% or greater while using any drug that adversely affects safety

Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 91.17- Alcohol However, regulations alone are no guarantee that problems won’t occur. It is far more important for pilots to understand the negative effects of alcohol and its deadly impact on flight safety.

Alcohol & Flying The basic principles required to be able to successfully pilot an aircraft include adequate and unimpaired senses of vision and hearing, sufficient intelligence and judgment, suitable personality, and motor skills.

Alcohol & Flying When flying, the pilot is exposed to additional factors such as the hypoxia, high noise levels, the requirement for radio communication with the outside world, higher accelerations during aircraft maneuvering, and visual-vestibular illusions.

Alcohol & Flying The ingestion of alcohol influences virtually every system in the human body in some way or another. The most readily apparent effects of alcohol are usually a result of its effect on our central nervous system. The effect of alcohol most pertinent to aviation is its impairment of a variety of central nervous system functions.

Alcohol & Flying The metabolism of all other body systems is altered. Included is the gastro-intestinal tract, the liver and pancreas, muscles, the blood, the heart, the immune system, the respiratory system and electrolyte balance,

Why We Have to Avoid Alcohol?

Why we have to avoid alcohol? United States the percentage of pilots with elevated blood alcohol levels involved in fatal general aviation accidents during the early 1960s was approximately 43%. This proportion had fallen somewhat, but remained between 15% and 20% during the 1970s. In recent times, aircraft accidents has tended to remain at the 10% - 30% level.

Why we have to avoid alcohol? “blood alcohol concentrations of 0.04% are associated with substantial and highly significant increases in the number and potential seriousness of procedural errors committed by both inexperienced and highly experienced pilots”.

Effects of alcohol Effects in conjunction with altitude hypoxia. Central Nervous System Impairment of motor skills. Impairment of higher cortical functions. The effects of alcohol on visual and visual-vestibular function. Spatial orientation. Hangover effect.

Effects in conjunction with altitude hypoxia It has been traditionally considered that alcohol and altitude hypoxia had a synergistic effect on performance impairment. Alcohol reduce body ability to make us of oxygen. At the same time, as aircraft ascend, the amount of oxygen is reducing. This can lead towards histotoxic hypoxia.

Effect – Central Nervous System Central nervous system is the core of nervous system which controlled : Mental Mechanical Physiological Alcohol somehow could lead towards depression problem. High level alcohol could lead to coma/death due to disability of nervous system to function properly.

Effect - Impairment of motor skills. While alcohol has little effect on muscular strength it impairs the coordination of motor functions. Basic motor coordination tasks such as standing still, hand steadiness, walking, especially with the eyes closed, and a variety of sensorimotor tracking/pointing tasks are all impaired by alcohol. Alcohol increases swaying, especially if eyes are closed. Coordination for tracing moving objects is impaired.

Impairment of higher cortical functions. There are specific areas involved such vision, hearing, touch, movement, and smell including other areas which are critical for thinking and reasoning. Even low level of alcohol in blood cause: a decrease in visual tracking performance. monitoring and decision components of reaction time tasks Alcohol disrupts the laying down of memory with a likely subsequent reduction in aviation safety.

Impairment of higher cortical functions. Reaction times to different stimuli have been shown to be increased by alcohol ingestion. All of these functions play an important role in the safe piloting of aircraft. Impairment of any of these functions will be detrimental to flight safety.

Effect: visual and visual-vestibular function. The presence of alcohol in blood will cause: Speed of the eyes, in pursuing a target is reduced. Double vision and dilatation of the pupils, resulting in blurred vision Slow the ability of the eyes to accommodate or adjust their focus. Color vision conflict.

Effect: Spatial orientation. Lead to loss of control of the aircraft and an accident will result unless control is regained. Lead to spatial disorientation and an aircraft accident. Failure in maintaining correct posture and balance.

Effect: Spatial orientation.

Hangover effect Symptoms commonly associated with a hangover are headache, dizziness, dry mouth, stuffy nose, fatigue, upset stomach, irritability, impaired judgment, and increased sensitivity to bright light.

Alcohol Affect Human Performance Alcohol is rapidly absorbed from the stomach and small intestine, and transported by the blood throughout the body. Alcohol can affect three crucial organs to a pilot, which are the brain, the eyes, and the inner ear. Brain effects include impaired reaction time, reasoning, judgment, and memory.

Alcohol Affect Human Performance Alcohol decreases the ability of the brain to make use of oxygen. This effect become worst because of the reducing of air pressure at higher altitude. Two drinks on the ground are equivalent to three or four at altitude. Visual symptoms include eye muscle imbalance, which leads to double vision and difficulty focusing.

Alcohol Affect Human Performance Figure: Double vision and blurred vision which lead to difficulty in focusing

Alcohol Affect Human Performance Inner ear effects include dizziness (not balance), and decreased hearing perception. If other variables are added, such as lack of sleep, fatigue, medication use, altitude hypoxia, or flying at night or in bad weather, the negative effects will be increased.

Conclusion Ideally, total avoidance of alcohol should be a key element observed by every pilot in planning or accomplishing a flight. Alcohol avoidance is as critical as developing a flight plan, a good preflight inspection, obeying ATC procedures, and avoiding severe weather. It is important to recognize the hazards of combining alcohol consumption and flying. Use good judgment. Your life and the lives of your passengers are at risk if you drink and fly.