| Title | Agricultural aviation versus other general aviation : toxicological findings in fatal accidents. |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 39353 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Lacefield, Delbert J.; Roberts, Patricia A.; Blossom, Curtis W. |
| Corporate Creator | Civil Aeromedical Institute |
| Corporate Contributor |
United States. Office of Aviation Medicine |
| Publisher | Civil Aerospace Medical Institute |
| Publication Date | 19780900 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | Results from the toxicological study of samples from 174 pilots killed while engaged in aerial application and samples from 2,449 other general aviation pilots are compared. The incidence of alcohol in specimens was similar for ag pilots and other general aviation pilots but the blood levels of alcohol tended to be lower in the ag pilots. Carbon monoxide as an incapacitating agent did not appear to be a factor in aerial application operations. Evidence of the use of drugs or medications was less in ag pilots than in other general aviation pilots. Over half of the ag pilots had below normal cholinesterase levels, suggesting a continuing problem of acute and/or chronic toxicity from the pesticides being applied by agricultural aircraft. This finding suggests that better educational efforts could reduce the accident rate in this important segment of our agricultural activity. |
| Rosap ID | dot:21141 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/21141 |
| TRT Terms | Aerial application; Air pilots; Air transportation crashes; Fatalities; Crash investigation; Alcohol use; Carbon monoxide; Drug use; Pesticides; Toxicity; Crash analysis |
| General Subjects | Pest control baits--Aerial application; Aircraft accidents--Investigation; Air pilots; Drinking of alcoholic beverages; Carbon monoxide; Drug abuse; Pesticides--Toxicology; Cholinesterases |
| Classification | NTL - AVIATION - Aviation Human Factors; NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Accidents; NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Aviation Safety/Airworthiness |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| Report Number | FAA-AM-78-31; DOT/FAA/AM-78/31 |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/39000/39300/39353/AM78-31.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |