SAFETY STUDY: STATISTICAL REVIEW OF ALCOHOL-INVOLVED AVIATION ACCIDENTS

During the years 1975-1981, more than 10 percent of the toxicological tests on deceased pilots were positive for alcohol. However, no pilot of a U.S. certificated air carrier operated under 14 CFR 121 was found to have a positive alcohol test since at least 1964. Toxicological tests were positive for alcohol in 6.4 percent of the tests taken from fatally injured scheduled 14 CFR 135 (commuter) pilots and in 7.4 percent of fatally injured pilots in nonscheduled 14 CFR 135 (on demand air taxi) operations. In general aviation, 10.5 percent of toxicological tests on fatally injured pilots were positive for alcohol. The extent to which alcohol is involved in nonfatal accidents is not known because there is no Federal authority to test surviving pilots for alcohol. Positive toxicological tests were obtained from pilots of all certificate levels and all levels of flight-time, indicating that experience cannot and does not compensate for the performance degradation caused by alcohol.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  Bureau of Safety Programs, 800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20594
• Publication Date: 1984-5-1

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 27 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air; Air pilots; Air taxi service; Airline pilots; Alcoholic beverages; Aviation; Crashes; Performance; Safety and security; Statistics; Toxicology; Transportation safety
• Old TRIS Terms: Toxicological tests
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Data and Information Technology; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00394227
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: NTSB/SS-84/03, HS-037 803
• Files: HSL, TSR, USDOT
• Created Date: May 31 1985 12:00AM