Human Limitations and Risk in Airline Pilots: Sleep and Fatigue

Abstract

Different aspects of the physiopathology of sleep and fatigue are analyzed in this paper and the relationships with other tasks determine a continuous variation of their normal mechanisms as it happens in airliners international crews. Recent scientific studies about the cycles of sleep are mentioned including the problem of jet lag in transmeridian flights. The dyad composed of sleep and fatigue must be taken as a main concern at the moment of evaluating the regulations in air operations.

Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) is developed to assess and evaluate the fatigue level in crews and has determined the development of software to calculate the maximum level of risk to perform and authorize the operation. This method, developed by ICAO, IFALPA, and IATA, is being used as the main guide of the regulations for all aeronautical operations. Finally, some recommendations are suggested to keep high enough the safety of the operations.