Medical disqualification of 275 commercial pilots: changing patterns over 20 years.

Full Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The medical requirements for commercial pilots are issued by the ICAO and the European aviation safety organization JAA. In Norway, the Aeromedical Section of the Civil Aviation Authority assesses whether pilots are medically fit to fly. This study presents the reasons for medical disqualification among the Norwegian commercial pilot population during a 20-yr period. METHODS: Files on all disqualified commercial pilots were reviewed and subdivided into age groups and diagnostic categories. Different disqualification rates were calculated. RESULTS: From the study population of 48,229 pilot-years, 275 pilots were permanently grounded, which gives a 20-yr average disqualification rate of 5.7 per 1,000 pilot-years. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: For cardiovascular diseases the disqualification rate was lower after 1997 than before, which is explained by improved treatment and more lenient requirements. In the diagnostic categories, neurology, musculoskeletal, and psychiatric diseases, the disqualification rate increased after 1997. This fact is probably not attributed to more stringent health requirements, but possibly to the attitudes of the pilots, who have become more critical with respect to their subjective perception of their working environment and psychosocial factors.

Author information

Author/s: Arva, Per (P); Wagstaff, Anthony S (AS);

Affiliation: Aeromedical Section, Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority, P.O. Box 128 Blindern, 0314 Oslo, Norway. pea(-atsign-)caa.no

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Aviation, space, and environmental medicine (Aviat Space Environ Med), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2004-Sep; vol 75 (issue 9) : pp 791-4

Dates: Created 2004/10/05; Completed 2004/12/21;

PMID: 15460631, status: MEDLINE (last retrieved date: 2/18/2009)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.