Paper Example: Fatigue Can Cause Aviation Accidents

Aviation accidents though very rare, can be fatal and mostly are due to human error. Fatigue on both the pilots and the cabin crew is the most significant contributor to these aviation accidents. Fatigue is characterized by a lot of discomfort decreased working capability, loss, or reduced response to stimuli, and to sum it all up, one feels weary and tired. It can be considered as a health hazard since it minimizes alertness in regard to performance. The causes in the aviation industry must be dealt with to keep the air space free from these fatigue-related accidents.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Probable Causes

Its lessened judgment, decision-making, and the ability to fly for the pilot and the flight team due to the fatigue aftermath. The pilot's inability to thoroughly measure the situations of touchdown and maintain the alertness of the case. The probable course of fatigue in most of the pilots could be summed up by the following pointers.

Stress- generally, pilots are not exposed to the same occupational stress as commercial pilots, and these are long duty days, time zone changes, and circadian disruption due to night flying. Nevertheless, pilots still develop fatigue from other causes, which include personal issues inform of stress that may be interfering with their day to day operations (Caldwell, 2005). When combined, a stressed and fatigued individual will show a similar problem and may include sleeplessness, difficulty in concentration, the feeling of isolation, apathy, annoyance, and increased errors while performing duties. Eventually, pilots are distracted when performing their duties and hence the cause of the accidents in the aviation. In mitigating this, the pilots' needs are to be looked after by having regular checkups.

Circadian rhythms -These are behavioral and physiological procedures that occur in the human body in 24 hours, and they include the wake/ sleep, digestion, hormone secretion in the human body. Every rhythm has its low as well as high points during the day along with night. The time signs called zeitgebers to maintain and set the twenty-four-hour clock to the suitable time of the day. And they include foods, daylights, and recess schedules (Santos & Melicio, 2019). They mostly apply when changing continents that have different time zones or even changing shifts that are of day and night. It produces an effect that is more or similar to those of lack of sleep. When lack of sleep and circadian occur together, the outcome usually is compounded. Introduced Polices to curb this to enable the pilots and crew at large to have adequate rest after having such flights that require them to do so.

Relaxing sleep - there is a big difference in individuals' sleep requirements. Some who can sleep for 6 hours while others who can sleep for nine or even ten hours. However, many individuals sleep for eight hours to get a restful sleep without sleep postponing. When getting old, there is a substantial reduction of the standard rest time, which is caused by nighttime awakenings; hence older individuals have decreased nighttime has a result of daytime fatigue, sleepiness, dozing, and napping (Lee & Kim, 2018). A nap during midday has helped in compensating the quality of night sleep. Some international companies have allowed their pilots as a policy to have their pilots nap during a long haul flight during periods of low workloads.

The team rest and piloting flying duties- putting a schedule for the crew to rest is very important for the team to have adequate rest (Levin et al., 2019). The waking up time signifies the buildup of fatigue. Flying could be more extended because of the jet lag effects, waking up early due to disturbance of the surrounding atmosphere, and the other time needs for the crew to check out of the hotels, the time needed for check-in and book-in. It also necessitates the model of the plane and the nature of the voyage (Caldwell & Caldwell, 2016). Extension of duties may also occur when flights have been re-routed or delayed due to avoidable causes. These can lead to lack of sleep, which will require extra time to overcome; hence a schedule is necessary for the crew to rest adequately. A study has shown that duty period duration implies that the ones that are great than twelve hours are related to a high risk of faults. When all this is considered, there is a need for proper schedules that will help the crew to rest adequately to enable them to work correctly during which they help in reducing accidences that are associated with fatigue.

Conclusion

Pilot fatigue has become a peril predominantly in aviation operations. There are many attributes towards fatigue in the air travel setup, including the twenty-four-hour rotations rhythm, lengthy work timetables, insufficient pilot rest, and insufficient relaxing sleep. As much as these attributes might not be conclusively solved, there is a need for regulations and policies in service /rest hours, flight scheduling procedures as well as correcting the existing system problems and status quo. The well-being of a pilot is a guarantee of a well-attended cockpit and timely response to emergencies during the flights. When we reduce these exposures, the safety of aviation will improve and hence the reduction of unforeseen accidents due to human error.

Reference

Caldwell, J. A. (2005). Fatigue in Aviation. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 3(2), 85-96. 10.1016/j.tmaid.2004.07.008

Caldwell, J., & Caldwell, J. L. (2016). Fatigue in Aviation: A Guide to Staying Awake at The Stick. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Fatigue-in-Aviation-A-Guide-to-Staying-Awake-at-the-Stick-2nd-Edition/Caldwell-Caldwell/p/book/9781472464590

Lee, S., & Kim, J. K. (2018). Factors Contributing to The Risk of Airline Pilot Fatigue. Journal of Air Transport Management, 67, 197-207. 10.1016/j.jairtraman.2017.12.009

Levin, E., MR, M., COIMBRA, F., Keller, J., & Teo, A. (2019). Fatigue In Collegiate Aviation. International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace, 6(4), 14. http://aeronautics198.rssing.com/chan-61614519/latest.php

Santos, L. F., & Melicio, R. (2019). Stress, Pressure, and Fatigue on Aircraft Maintenance. doi: 10.15866/irease. v12i1.14860