Fatigue is a component in the majority of aviation accidents. As many as 75% of crew members have admitted to flying with severe fatigue. Often originating in an underlying and undetected sleep disorder, fatigue can enhance errors, interfere with communication, crew resource management, reflexes and critical thinking. Inadequate rest and sleep, long and unpredictable duty hours, shift work, and circadian changes also play a significant contributory role. Resulting compromised interaction with air traffic control, maintenance, dispatch, and other crew members can increase and amplify the inherent risks. Inadequately diagnosed and untreated sleep disorders can amplify fatigue, increase response time, errors, and ultimately accidents. Currently employed countermeasures and alternative avenues to cope with fatigue are often inadequate.
Aerospace Medical Sleep Consultants can employ custom fatigue detection protocols to determine risk to the aircrew, passengers and the mission. We develop and deploy strategies to enhance sleep quality and time, resolve underlying sleep disorders and ultimately mitigate and reduce errors and accidents.