Collegiate Aviation Pilots: Analyses of Fatigue Related Decision-Making Scenarios

According to Dawson and McCulloch (2005), indicating factors for pilot fatigue may be difficult to ascertain. However, fatigue is a probable cause in 15%-20% of all aircraft accidents (Akerstedt, 2000). It may be assumed fatigue has been important latent condition for many of the general aviation incidents and or accidents but not necessarily identified as a probable cause. Events that barely missed a detrimental situation due to fatigue, often go unnoticed and or unreported. Furthermore, fatigue can influence the quality of flight instruction and flight operations overall. The purpose of the current paper was to examine fatigue related decision-making responses from collegiate aviation pilots. These scenarios were designed to understand mitigation strategies, external pressures, and reasons for go-no-go decisions. Results of the qualitative analysis indicated some pilots were susceptible to organizational pressures, hazardous attitudes, and expressed over reliance on another pilot i.e. a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). On the contrary, several responses indicated Positive Threat Assessment while Seeking Alternative Solutions. Researchers provided recommended practices, suggested future research, and provided a model to simplify the decision-making process.