NTL Record

Title Medically Disqualified Airline Pilots [1984]
Record ID 39491
Personal Name
Creator
Dark, Shirley J.
Corporate Creator Civil Aeromedical Institute
Corporate
Contributor
United States. Office of Aviation Medicine
Publisher Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Publication Date 19840800
Language English
Abstract Observations on the airline pilot group probably come as close to a true reflection of incidence of disqualifying disease as is possible to observe. Prescreening by airline companies before employment and the FAA's requirements for issuance of a first-class medical certificate result in this group's being essentially purged of a disease prevalence that contributes to higher rates for other groups. These individuals are also less likely to voluntarily remove themselves from followup observations for known medical conditions that could preclude FAA medical certification. This study examined medical records of airline pilots medically disqualified by the FAA over a 20-year period. Date of birth, employer, date of disqualification, and reason for disqualification were recorded for each pilot. The data represent the final action taken on each pilot for a particular examination. During this period, 842 airline pilots were medically disqualified. Cardiovascular diseases represent the highest cause for denial, with age being a major factor in the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Denials for cardiovascular reasons account for 50% of all denials in this group. FAA medical certificate denial is minimal before age 45 but increases rapidly thereafter, with cardiovascular diseases responsible for more than half of this dramatic rise in incidence of disease. Maintenance of high standards of safety requires close cardiovascular supervision as pilots grow older.
Rosap ID dot:21272
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/21272
TRT Terms Air pilots; Certification; Medical examinations and tests; Cardiovascular diseases; Qualifications; Age; Medical records; Research
General Subjects Air pilots--Certification; Air pilots--Medical examinations; Cardiovascular system--Diseases; Age; Medical records
Classification NTL - AVIATION - Aviation Safety/Airworthiness;
NTL - AVIATION - Aviation Human Factors;
NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Aviation Safety/Airworthiness
Geographical
Coverage
United States
Report Number FAA-AM-84-9; DOT/FAA/AM-84/9
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/39000/39400/39491/AM84-09.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository