Pilots’ health issues made up a small, but probably underestimated, proportion of factors associated with aircraft accidents, according to a study by U.S. researchers.1
Their review of U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) aviation accident reports from 2013 through October 2022 found that, of 15,654 events, medical factors were involved in 703 accidents, or 4.5 percent. Their accompanying review of medical literature on the subject found gaps between the information contained in the published literature and existing data on the human factors associated with accidents.
“Health-related factors can contribute to aviation accidents,” said the report on the study, published in the February issue of Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance. “Research has shown that while these factors are less common than mechanical failures, they can still significantly impact aviation safety.”
The literature review found that chronic conditi…
