RJP
Registered Eye-Poker
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2004
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This was in the British news today.
Crash report warns of sleep aid risk to pilots
Andrew Clark, transport correspondent
Friday August 20, 2004
The Guardian
Air safety regulators warn today of the danger of jet-lagged pilots taking over-the-counter drugs to help them sleep. Their concern comes after an investigation into a fatal crash at Birmingham airport found a common sedative in the blood of two US cockpit crew.
The Air Accident Investigation Branch say pilots are taking products such as Nytol - a widely advertised sleep aid often used by international travellers. Investigators found Nytol's active ingredient, diphenhydramine, in the blood of the pilots of an American executive jet which exploded on takeoff at Birmingham two years ago.
All five people in the plane died, including the millionaire president of an American agriculture firm, Agco.
The crash was caused by frost on the wings, which upset the balance of the aircraft. The investigators found that although it was an icy January morning, the pilots had inexplicably failed to use any defrosting equipment. Experts analysed conversations recorded by the plane's black box and concluded that the pilots "exhibited symptoms of decreased concentration and judgment". They said their performance may have been impaired by "the combined effects of a non-prescription drug, jet lag and fatigue".
The accident was one of Britain's worst private plane crashes of recent years. The twin-engined jet, bound for Bangor in Maine, clipped its wing on the runway and was engulfed in a fireball. Fire engines arrived within 60 seconds but the plane's three crew and two passengers had been killed instantly.
Among the victims was John Shumejda, known as "Mr Tractor" for his role in the multinational agricultural industry. The runway was scattered with debris and Birmingham airport had to be shut for 36 hours.
Investigators cited a study in the US which found that 18% of pilots killed in plane crashes between 1994 and 1998 had over-the-counter drugs in their blood. Diphenhydramine was among the most common drugs, found in 54 cases.
Researchers at the University of Iowa compared the effect of the drug to alcohol on motorists. They found that it had a greater impact on coordination than a blood alcohol level of 100mg for every 100 millilitres - roughly equivalent to three pints of beer.
Although diphenhydramine is found in many cough and cold remedies, the crash specialists said they believed the pilots had taken it as a sedative.
Nytol, the most common such over-the-counter sedative, is available only in pharmacies in Britain and carries a warning advising users against driving or operating machinery. But it is on general sale in the US, and its manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, provides no such advice to Americans.
Britain's Civil Aviation Authority warns pilots against taking tranquillisers, antidepressants or sedatives which may affect their reaction time. Today's report will urge the US Federal Aviation Authority to tighten up its advice for American pilots.
Farrol Kahn, founder of the Aviation Health Institute, said the lower level of oxygen on board aircraft meant extra caution was needed in taking medicines. "Any drugs like sedatives which influence the brain become more potent in the unusual environment of an aeroplane."
A spokesman for the British Airline Pilots' Association said he did not believe products such as Nytol were widely used by aircraft crew in this country. "It really isn't a problem we've encountered, although we can't speak for all executive jet pilots," he said.
One British Airways pilot said airlines were generally strict in discouraging use of medicines, with crew banned from flying while on antibiotics: "Any professional pilot should know, a bit like sportsmen, that if we're taking certain drugs, we shouldn't be flying."
Nytol is advertised as an aid to treat mild insomnia. It is available in capsules or as a maximum strength liquid gel. Nobody was available for comment from GlaxoSmithKline.
Crash report warns of sleep aid risk to pilots
Andrew Clark, transport correspondent
Friday August 20, 2004
The Guardian
Air safety regulators warn today of the danger of jet-lagged pilots taking over-the-counter drugs to help them sleep. Their concern comes after an investigation into a fatal crash at Birmingham airport found a common sedative in the blood of two US cockpit crew.
The Air Accident Investigation Branch say pilots are taking products such as Nytol - a widely advertised sleep aid often used by international travellers. Investigators found Nytol's active ingredient, diphenhydramine, in the blood of the pilots of an American executive jet which exploded on takeoff at Birmingham two years ago.
All five people in the plane died, including the millionaire president of an American agriculture firm, Agco.
The crash was caused by frost on the wings, which upset the balance of the aircraft. The investigators found that although it was an icy January morning, the pilots had inexplicably failed to use any defrosting equipment. Experts analysed conversations recorded by the plane's black box and concluded that the pilots "exhibited symptoms of decreased concentration and judgment". They said their performance may have been impaired by "the combined effects of a non-prescription drug, jet lag and fatigue".
The accident was one of Britain's worst private plane crashes of recent years. The twin-engined jet, bound for Bangor in Maine, clipped its wing on the runway and was engulfed in a fireball. Fire engines arrived within 60 seconds but the plane's three crew and two passengers had been killed instantly.
Among the victims was John Shumejda, known as "Mr Tractor" for his role in the multinational agricultural industry. The runway was scattered with debris and Birmingham airport had to be shut for 36 hours.
Investigators cited a study in the US which found that 18% of pilots killed in plane crashes between 1994 and 1998 had over-the-counter drugs in their blood. Diphenhydramine was among the most common drugs, found in 54 cases.
Researchers at the University of Iowa compared the effect of the drug to alcohol on motorists. They found that it had a greater impact on coordination than a blood alcohol level of 100mg for every 100 millilitres - roughly equivalent to three pints of beer.
Although diphenhydramine is found in many cough and cold remedies, the crash specialists said they believed the pilots had taken it as a sedative.
Nytol, the most common such over-the-counter sedative, is available only in pharmacies in Britain and carries a warning advising users against driving or operating machinery. But it is on general sale in the US, and its manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, provides no such advice to Americans.
Britain's Civil Aviation Authority warns pilots against taking tranquillisers, antidepressants or sedatives which may affect their reaction time. Today's report will urge the US Federal Aviation Authority to tighten up its advice for American pilots.
Farrol Kahn, founder of the Aviation Health Institute, said the lower level of oxygen on board aircraft meant extra caution was needed in taking medicines. "Any drugs like sedatives which influence the brain become more potent in the unusual environment of an aeroplane."
A spokesman for the British Airline Pilots' Association said he did not believe products such as Nytol were widely used by aircraft crew in this country. "It really isn't a problem we've encountered, although we can't speak for all executive jet pilots," he said.
One British Airways pilot said airlines were generally strict in discouraging use of medicines, with crew banned from flying while on antibiotics: "Any professional pilot should know, a bit like sportsmen, that if we're taking certain drugs, we shouldn't be flying."
Nytol is advertised as an aid to treat mild insomnia. It is available in capsules or as a maximum strength liquid gel. Nobody was available for comment from GlaxoSmithKline.
