Carbon Monoxide Warning
Aviation maintenance personnel and pilots often underestimate the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, according to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which has issued two safety alerts to increase awareness of the problem.
Safety Alerts SA-070 and SA-069, released in mid-September, defined CO, discussed its sources in airplanes with internal combustion engines and warned of the symptoms caused by exposure.
“CO is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas byproduct of internal combustion engines and is found in exhaust gases,” the safety alerts said. “Sufficiently high levels of CO in your bloodstream will lead to oxygen starvation and the onset of symptoms such as headaches, drowsiness, nausea or shortness of breath.”
Leaky exhaust pipes or mufflers can allow CO to enter the cockpit, the alerts said.
