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5 Pilot Commuting and Fatigue Risk
Pages 87-98

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From page 87...
... INADEQUATE SLEEP PRIOR TO FLIGHT DUTY Consistent with the scientific literature from laboratory experiments (reviewed in Chapter 4) , field studies of pilots have found that sleep duration in the 24 hours prior to a flight duty period can contribute to pilot fatigue in flight.
From page 88...
... This provocative suggestion may or may not be considered relative to flight and duty time regulations, but the scientific evidence on how commuting may contribute to fatigue because of inadequate sleep and prolonged wakefulness may suggest that there is a shared responsibility for mitigating fatigue between pilots and carriers. Sleep is a physiological phenomenon that is defined by measuring brain waves, eye movements, muscle activity, and other physiological processes.
From page 89...
... These illustrations are accompanied by examples of "favorable" and "unfavorable" commuting patterns based on the findings from sleep science. Four primary sources of fatigue -- time awake, sleep time, sleep quality, and circadian phase -- are the dependent variables for determining whether a commute is favorable or unfavorable.
From page 90...
... ASRS collects, processes, and analyzes voluntarily submitted aviation safety incident reports of unsafe occurrences and hazardous situations from pilots, air traffic controllers, dispatchers, flight attendants, maintenance technicians, and others. For details, see http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/overview/summary.html [May 2011]
From page 91...
... Thus, with the commute occupying the best portion of the preduty period for sleep, although several hours are potentially available for sleep prior to duty, it is quite possible that this pilot will be landing the aircraft in Phoenix fatigued, with the length of time since awakening likely to affect individual performance adversely. For the graphical representation of this example, see Figure 5-3.
From page 92...
... Rest (8 in bed, 7 sleep) 11:00 11:00 11:00 10:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 12:00 1:00 PM AM PM AM Time of Day at Residence FIGURE 5-3 Example 2a: Unfavorable commuting pattern.
From page 93...
... In favor of obtaining restful sleep during this commute, the all-night timing of the flight spans not only the window of circadian low, but also the pilot's entire habituated sleep period. The duration and quality of sleep actually obtained, though, will depend on factors beyond the immediate control of the pilot, such as whether the available accommodation is in a first-class lieflat sleeper seat or in an upright coach seat next to a crying baby.
From page 94...
... ter in a bed than on the airplane, it is important to note that the very early wake-up call for the West Coast habituated pilot may make it difficult to obtain a full night's rest due to the interruption of the habitual sleep period. For the graphical representation of this example, see Figure 5-6.
From page 95...
... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00 PM AM PM Time of Day at Residence FIGURE 5-7 Example 4a: Unfavorable commuting pattern -- day 1 of 3 consecutive days. On second and third days, rest time reduced by 1 hour.
From page 96...
... , including those essential for safely operating a commercial aircraft. The adverse effects of fatigue induced by sleep loss include maintaining wakefulness and alertness, vigilance and selective attention, psychomotor and cognitive speed, accuracy of performing a wide range of cognitive tasks, working and executive memory, and on higher cognitive functions such as decision making, detection of safety threats, and problem solving, as well as communication and mood.
From page 97...
... and 7:00 a.m. The evidence that cognitive performance is adversely affected when the amount of sleep in 24 hours is cumulatively less than approximately 6 hours suggests that pilots should seek to obtain sufficient bed time to ensure they are fit for duty.


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