FAA Postmortem Forensic Toxicology Proficiency Testing Program: The Final Seven Years

Forensic toxicology testing is an integral part of postmortem medicolegal investigations. In aviation casework, the results from these analyses are used to determine the impact, if any, of alcohols or drugs on the ability of a pilot to safely operate an aircraft. Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) programs for forensic toxicology laboratories are necessary for maintaining confidence in analytical results and improving overall laboratory performance. Proficiency testing programs specifically targeting postmortem forensic laboratories are limited. In 1991, the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, tasked with providing postmortem toxicology studies for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), initiated a quarterly proficiency testing (PT) program specifically focused on the analysis of postmortem specimens like those obtained at autopsy following a fatal accident. Participants in this PT program used the results to gauge their laboratory’s ability to correctly identify and quantify the target analytes. Two reviews of this program have been published, reporting on the findings for the first (July, 1991–April, 1998) and second (July, 1998–early April, 2005) seven-year periods. Similarly, this report is a compilation of the data from the final seven-year period (late April, 2005–December, 2012). A total of 30 PT challenge survey samples, including 14 urine samples, 9 bloods, and 7 liver tissue homogenates were submitted to participating laboratories during the seven-year period. The challenges either contained no analytes (negative) or were fortified with one or more alcohols/volatiles, drugs, or drug metabolites. The program, in some cases, add putrefactive amines and left samples at room temperature for 24 hours to initiate decomposition which is known to produce postmortem ethanol and putrefactive amines. An average of 26 laboratories participated in each of the surveys with an average of 22 (85%) submitting results back to CAMI. The data showed that 97.2% of laboratories submitting quantitative results were within 2 standard deviations of the overall mean value. When evaluated with a criterion of ± 20% of the overall analytical mean, the results were more varied but 85.4% of the labs met these criteria. There were some significant errors, including false positives for amphetamines, opiates, zolpidem, and metaxalone. Reporting these findings during a forensic investigation could have a major impact on the interpretation of toxicology results and the final disposition of a postmortem case. The program was discontinued after the December 2012 challenge.

• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/57206
• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Aviation Administration

  Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, P.O. Box 25082
  Oklahoma City, OK  United States  73125

  Federal Aviation Administration

  Office of Aerospace Medicine, 800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Authors:
  • Kemp, Philip M
  • Craft, Kristi J
  • Thompson, Kristi
• Publication Date: 2018-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 12p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air transportation crashes; Alcohol tests; Drug tests; Quality assurance; Quality control; Toxicology
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01781983
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT/FAA/AM-18/3
• Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 20 2021 2:52PM