In November we discussed laptop-wielding pilots who overshot their approach by 150 miles. With the holiday season upon us and flights packed to the brim, let’s see a show of hands: who is willing to get on a plane with a pilot entering his 15^th hour of duty on a redeye flight through inclement weather?

Credit:Uriel Padilla/Special for Metromix

Sound like a recipe for disaster? The FAA thinks so, too. That’s why in June, administrator Randy Babbitt vowed to fight for further pilot rest regulations – rules that have gone unchanged for almost 70 years due to industry pressure. But Peggy Gilligan, associate administrator for aviation safety, says the FAA will release the new guidelines a month late, on January 31^st.

In February, Colgan Air Flight 3407 stalled and nosedived into a house in Buffalo, killing 50. Crew fatigue was partially to blame. In October 2004, pilots of the American Connection Jetstream crash were at the end of a 15-hour workday. In the Colgan case, Captain Marvin Renslow slept in the Newark Airport crew lounge the night before (against Colgan Air regulations). 24-year-old First Officer Rebecca Shaw traveled all night as a passenger on FedEx flights before co-piloting the Colgan. The National Transportation Safety Board found that fatigue played a role in 250 deaths in airline accidents over the last 20 years.

We all know what too little sleep feels like. Sluggish reactions, reduced alertness…it’s not long before your body just quits on you. Experts say it’s on par with “having too much to drink.” The common denominator of these short-haul stories: regional airlines, where “lower paid, often less experienced pilots fly heavier schedules” are hotbeds for rest-deprived conditions.

The Federal Aviation Administration is working on new guidelines to combat fatigue (after two failed attempts to update in the 1990s), and will also look at other factors like low starting wages, poor in-flight sleeping quarters, and work-time napping. Current policy says domestic pilots can only log an 8-hour shift per day, and requires them to get at least 8 continuous hours of sleep every 24 hours.

It sounds like enough, but a CNN article points out that the guidelines “disregard flight delays, jetlag, increased workload, multiple flight legs” and “untraditional hours, which can disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm even when they do get sleep.” Not to mention the effect of rapid time zone changes when you travel from west to east.

Additionally, FAA officials said they might vet prospective pilot histories more rigorously prior to hiring. After the Colgan crash, investigators found that Marvin Renslow failed many tests during his career, and may not have been adequately trained to respond to such an emergency.

Your thoughts on the deadline extension? Can the amount of rest a pilot gets actually be regulated?

Posted by Rebecca on December 24, 2009 at 10:00 am.