FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION OKLAHOMA CITY OK CIVIL AEROSPACE MEDICAL INST

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Works:	40 works in 40 publications in 1 language and 43 library holdings

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2000 |

|2020

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Publications about FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION OKLAHOMA CITY OK CIVIL AEROSPACE MEDICAL INST

Publications by FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION OKLAHOMA CITY OK CIVIL AEROSPACE MEDICAL INST

Most widely held works by FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION OKLAHOMA CITY OK CIVIL AEROSPACE MEDICAL INST

Index to FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine Reports: 1961 through 2008 by William Edward Collins ( Book )
1 edition published in 2009 in English and held by 4 libraries worldwide
An index to Federal Aviation Administration Office of Aerospace Medicine Reports (1964-2008) and Civil Aeromedical Institute Reports (1961-1963) is presented for those engaged in aviation medicine and related activities. The index lists all FAA aerospace medicine technical reports published from 1961 through 2008: chronologically, alphabetically by author, and alphabetically by subject.

U.S. Airline Transport Pilot International Flight Language Experiences, Report 5: Language Experiences in Native English-Speaking Airspace/Airports ( Book )
1 edition published in 2010 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
In 1998, the International Civil Aviation Organization took a heightened interest in the role of language in airline accidents. Member states agreed to take steps to ensure air traffic control personnel and flight crews involved in flight operations in airspace where the use of the English language is required were proficient in conducting and comprehending radiotelephony communications in English. This report is a compilation of written responses and comments by U.S. pilots from American, Continental, Delta, and United Airlines of their difficulties in international operations. In this report, the pilots? responses to questions 46-53 are presented as a compiled narrative. Their responses had eight major thrusts from which we derived the following five recommendations: (1) Adopt a standard dialect for use in ATC communications. (2) All trainees and current certified professional controllers successfully complete instruction and training in the principles of voice production and articulation as it relates to ATC communication. (3) Define an optimal rate of speech for use by certified professional controllers when communicating with pilots. Research is needed to provide guidance on the optimal rate of speech for different populations of speakers ? U.S., Foreign. (4) Develop new standard phraseology for non-routine events. Generally, the controller needs to have the pilot answer one question, ?What do you need from me?? The controller would coordinate the appropriate actions to provide the pilot with what is needed. (5) Controllers should be discouraged from using local jargon, slang, idiomatic expressions, and other forms of conversational communications when transmitting messages to pilots.

U.S. Airline Transport Pilot International Flight Language Experiences, Report 4: Non-Native English-Speaking Controllers Communicating with Native English-Speaking Pilots ( Book )
1 edition published in 2010 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
In 1998, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) took a heightened interest in the role of language in airline accidents. Member states agreed to take steps to ensure air traffic control (ATC) personnel and flight crews involved in flight operations in airspace where the use of the English language is required were proficient in conducting and comprehending radiotelephony communications in English. This report is a compilation of responses and comments by a group of U.S. pilots from American, Continental, Delta, and United Airlines of their difficulties in international operations. In this report, their responses to questions 39-45 are presented as a compiled narrative. We derived six major thrusts: (1) The English-language proficiency of nonnative English-speaking controllers may be inadequate for high-workload conditions; (2) Pilots develop and use different strategies to improve ATC communications once they determine the controller's language proficiency; (3) Pilots describe ATC communications between users of the same and different languages; (4) Language switching distracts pilots and limits understanding, adversely affects situational awareness, leaves them with feelings of uncertainty, and increases their workload; (5) Language barriers most affect situational awareness just prior to top-of-descent and during taxi; and (6) How pilots compensate for reductions in situational awareness. We offer 16 recommendations to improve communication practices ranging from developing standardized and secure English-language testing for use by all ICAO member states, to realistic emergency and nonroutine scenarios and simulations demonstrating use of conversational English to enhance datalink for surveillance and communications.

Distribution of Oxycodone in Postmortem Fluids and Tissues ( Book )
1 edition published in 2010 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Oxycodone is a heavily used and abused analgesic agent. Its pharmacological effects, including euphoria, respiratory depression, nausea, and drowsiness, have the potential to adversely affect performance. The postmortem distribution of oxycodone has not been well characterized, particularly at sub-lethal levels. Therefore, an attempt was made to evaluate the distribution of oxycodone in postmortem specimens collected from aviation accidents. Methods: A search of our database identified 4 oxycodone-positive fatalities from separate civil aviation accidents that occurred during a period of 6 years that had numerous biological tissues and fluids available (blood, urine, vitreous humor, liver, kidney, skeletal muscle, lung, spleen, heart muscle, and brain). These specimens were extracted using solid-phase extraction and were analyzed for oxycodone by GC/MS. Results: Oxycodone concentration ranges ( g/mL, g/g) found in the different tissues and fluids were: blood 0.027-0.742, urine 2.20 - 12.5, vitreous humor 0.048 - 0.118, liver 0.103-3.35, lung 0.047-1.35, kidney 0.045-3.12, spleen 0.115-2.43, muscle 0.017-0.400, brain 0.032-1.36, and heart 0.038-3.19. Conclusion: The blood concentrations found indicate that the oxycodone in these cases ranged from therapeutic to above therapeutic, but all were below lethal levels. Tissue/fluid to blood distribution coefficients were found to have large coefficients of variation (ranging from 26-128%), thereby rendering them unreliable for estimating a blood oxycodone concentration from a tissue value when no blood is available for analysis.

Causes of General Aviation Weather-Related, Non-Fatal Incidents: Analysis Using NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System Data ( Book )
1 edition published in 2010 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Adverse weather remains a major cause of general aviation accidents. However, weather alone is never the sole culprit. Searching for other salient causal factors, we turned to incident analysis. Incidents are less serious than accidents, but far more common, and have witnesses to better determine causes. The current research examined 100 GA weather-related incident reports made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) during 2005-06. With pilot permission, ASRS gathered additional data on nearly 300 variables related to possible root causes. The following factors seemed to constitute a problem for 5%, or more, of pilots: 1. Darkness (4 dusk +17 night = 21% of pilots). 2. Moisture affecting visibility (clouds, fog, rain, snow > 50%) and/or air movement affecting aircraft handling (thunderstorm, icing, turbulence > 25%). 3. Multiple weather factors experienced simultaneously (85%). 4. Failure to get a preflight weather briefing, or "briefing" with only a low-grade (non-aviation-oriented) source (5%). 5. Deterioration of weather forecast accuracy over time (66% correct forecasts at departure, decreasing to 37% correct at destination). 6. Weather that materialized worse than predicted (35%. This implicitly includes lack of en-route forecast updates). 7. Lack of weather-related training and experience (> 50%, non-instrument-rated and new instrument-rated pilots). 8. Inadequate equipment (less-experienced pilots tend to have less-capable airframes and avionics). 9. Ambulance missions (7%, particularly helicopter ambulance). 10. "Non-weather-related factors": decision-making (26%), time pressure (21%), "get-home-itis" (9%), aircraft equipment problem (8%), fatigue (7%), distraction by passenger or crew (5%). In broad terms, this analysis reveals two major at-risk target groups with distinct training needs: Non-instrument-rated pilots Newly minted instrument-rated pilots.

General Unknown Screening by Ion Trap LC/MS/MS ( Book )
1 edition published in 2010 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
During the investigation of aviation accidents, postmortem specimens from accident victims are submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) for toxicological analysis. The first, and perhaps most important, step in the analysis process is the initial screening of biological specimens for illicit, medically prescribed, and over-the-counter compounds that may be present and could have been the cause of the accident. Currently, our General Unknown Screening (GUS) procedure involves both gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), liquid chromatography/diode array detection (LC/DAD) and fluorescence detection techniques. Both techniques have inherent limitations that prevent the detection of certain types of compounds. LC/DAD, however, is more limited due to poor sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, our laboratory developed and validated an LC/MS/MS procedure that provides far superior sensitivity and specificity to that of LC/DAD. The combination of GC/MS with LC/MS/MS will allow for the detection of more compounds at lower concentrations than our current techniques.

Application of DNA Profiling in Resolving Aviation Forensic Toxicology Issues ( Book )
1 edition published in 2009 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Biological samples from the victims of aviation accidents are submitted to the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) for toxicological evaluation. Body components of aviation accident fatalities are often scattered, disintegrated, commingled, contaminated, and/or putrefied at accident scenes. These situations may impose difficulties in victim identification and tissue matching, thereby in the toxicological analysis of authentic samples and the interpretation of the associated analytical results. The use of DNA typing has been exemplified in the literature to resolve the sample misidentification issue. However, the prevalence of this type of issue in relation to aviation accident forensic toxicology has not been well-established. Therefore, the CAMI toxicology database was searched for the period of 1998-2008 for those accidents/cases wherein DNA profiling was performed. During this period, samples from 3523 accidents were received by CAMI. Of these, there were 3366 aviation accidents wherein at least one fatality had occurred. Biological samples from a total of 3319 pilots were received. Of these, 3275 were fatally injured. The 3319 pilots translated into the equivalent number of aviation accidents. Of the 3319 accidents, there were only 15 (0.5%) accidents wherein DNA profiling was performed on the biological samples. Six occupants (four fatalities and two injured victims) were involved in one accident and five (two fatalities and three injured victims) in another. Three fatalities occurred in three accidents each, two fatalities in eight accidents each, and one fatality in one accident. In one accident, there were two occupants with non-fatal injuries. DNA profiling was conducted upon the requests of families in two accidents, of accident investigators in three, and of pathologists in four. In six accidents, contradictory toxicological findings--such as selective presence of analytes in samples--CAMI laboratory to initiate DNA profiling.

Toxicological Findings of Pilots Involved in Aviation Accidents Operated under 14 CFR Part 135 ( Book )
1 edition published in 2009 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Under the United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), aircraft flown under Title 14 (Aeronautics and Space) Part 135 are operated as either commuter or on-demand flights. The rules governing the operation of and the crew members on board such aircraft are detailed within these regulations. Aircraft operated under 14 CFR Part 135 include medical flights, on-demand cargo flights, on-demand air-taxis, and scheduled/nonscheduled domestic passenger flights with or without air cargo. Pilots operating under these regulations carry with them the added responsibility of passenger safety or, for those involved in emergency medical flights, the importance of their role for the survivability of patients in critical condition. The purpose of this study was to examine the toxicological findings of pilots involved in aircraft accidents operated under 14 CFR Part 135. Toxicological and aeromedical findings from Part 135 pilots who were involved in fatal accidents between the years 1997 and 2007 were collected. Toxicological information was obtained from the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute's (CAMI's) Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory. Accident information and the probable cause and/or factor(s) of these accidents were obtained from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Results show that between the years 1997 and 2007, CAMI received biological samples of 142 pilots operating under Part 135 who had been involved in aviation accidents. Of these 142 pilots, 139 had sustained fatal injuries. Of the 139 fatalities, 33 (23%) were found to have taken at least one drug and/or had consumed alcohol prior to the accident. The compounds detected in these pilots ranged from the benign (such as acetaminophen) to illicit compounds (such as cocaine and marijuana). The NTSB attributed either the cause and/or a factor in the accident to drugs and/or alcohol use in 6 of these 33 accidents.

Aerospace Toxicology: An Overview ( Book )
1 edition published in 2009 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
The field of aerospace toxicology is composed of aerospace and toxicology. The term aerospace-that is, the environment extending above and beyond the surface of the Earth-is also used to represent the combined fields of aeronautics and astronautics. Aviation is another term frequently and interchangeably used with aerospace and aeronautics and is explained as the science and art of operating powered aircraft. Toxicology is the basic science of poisons. It deals with the adverse effects of substances on living organisms. Any substance could be poisonous, depending upon its exposure amount and frequency. Although toxicology borrows knowledge from the fields of biology, chemistry, immunology, pathology, physiology, and public health, the most closely related field to toxicology is pharmacology. Economic toxicology, environmental toxicology, and forensic toxicology are 3 main branches of toxicology. Toxicology is a multidisciplinary field. Aerospace toxicology could be considered closely related to aerospace medicine. In this overview, a literature search for the period of 1960-2007 was performed, covering aerospace toxicology- related subject matter. The article is divided into the sections of introduction, agricultural aviation (aerial application), aviation combustion toxicology, postmortem aviation forensic toxicology, cabin air contamination, and references. Further readings are also suggested. It is anticipated that this overview article would be a reference source for the topics related to aerospace toxicology.

Designing Questionnaires for Controlling and Managing Information Complexity in Visual Displays ( Book )
1 edition published in 2008 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Information complexity of automation displays has become a bottleneck that limits the usefulness of new technologies in air traffic control (ATC). Previously, we developed a set of metrics to measure information complexity in ATC displays. While these metrics provide measures of display complexity, their use is somewhat limited due to required human factors expertise and understanding of the display design. Technology developers and human factors practitioners often desire quick, easy-to-use tools to assess the display during design and acquisition evaluation. Questionnaires provide a quick and inexpensive means to gather data from a potentially large number of respondents. We developed two questionnaires to evaluate ATC display complexity, based on the metric indices. The first questionnaire employs a multiple-choice format and allows quantitative evaluation of complexity. The second questionnaire uses a Likert rating format and is intended for qualitative assessment of complexity. We conducted an initial assessment of the questionnaires with seven subject matter experts on a radar display (STARS). The results indicate that both questionnaires produced consistent complexity evaluations among the subjects. Thus, we recommend that the multiple-choice questionnaire is more suitable for assessing quantitative complexity control during acquisition evaluations, and the Likert rating questionnaire is more suitable for complexity management during design of new ATC technologies.

Laser Illumination of Aircraft by Geographic Location for a 3-Year Period (2004-2006) ( Book )
1 edition published in 2008 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Incidents involving laser illumination of aircraft in the National Airspace System have raised concerns within the aviation community for more than a decade. The principal concern is the visual effect laser illumination may have on flight crew performance during terminal operations, such as landing and departure maneuvers, when operational activities are extremely critical. This 3-year study examines the frequency and rate of aviation-related laser incidents by year and location. Incident reports of civilian aircraft illuminated by high-intensity lights have been collected from various sources and entered into a database maintained by the Vision Research Team at the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute. Reported incidents of laser exposure of civilian aircraft in the United States for a 3-year period (January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2006) were collated and analyzed. A total of 832 incidents during the study period took place within the United States in the nine FAA-designated regions. For the period, total laser incident rates per 100,000 flight operations ranged from zero in the Alaskan region to 0.86 in the Western Pacific Region. Of the 202 airports where laser incidents occurred, there were 20 (9.9%) that reported 10 or more laser incidents during the study period. The majority of airports (52.6%) with 10 or more laser incidents reported a higher number of incidents in 2005 than in 2006. Laser illumination incidents that could compromise aviation safety and threaten flight crew vision performance occur with some regularity within the contiguous United States. While the study data indicate the Western Pacific Region had a significantly higher prevalence rate than the other FAA regions, analysis was complicated by incident clusters that occurred randomly at various airports.

Understanding the Human Factors Associated With Visual Flight Rules Flight Into Instrument Meteorological Conditions ( Book )
1 edition published in 2008 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Visual Flight Rules (VFR) into Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) accidents are a major concern in the aviation industry. More than 70% of the fatal weather-related accidents involved General Aviation (GA) pilots operating under visual flight rules (VFR) that continued into IMC. The purpose of this study was to pair GA accident causal factors that had been classified with the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) categories and traditional demographic data in an effort to present a more complete picture of VFR flight into IMC accidents. To accomplish this, GA accidents associated with VFR flight into IMC were examined to determine if there were any causal factors that set these accidents apart from the rest of GA (RoGA) accidents. GA accident data (14 CFR Part 91) from 1990-2004 were analyzed. The dataset was divided into accidents that had VFR into IMC (VFR-IMC; N = 609) cited as a cause or factor versus the rest of the GA accidents (RoGA; N = 18,528). Analyses were performed examining the human error associated with these accidents.

Vitreous Fluid and/or Urine Glucose Concentrations in 1, 335 Civil Aviation Accident Pilot Fatalities ( Book )
1 edition published in 2008 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
For aviation accident investigations at the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI), vitreous fluid and urine samples from pilot fatalities are analyzed for glucose, and in those cases wherein glucose levels are elevated, blood hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is measured. These analyses are conducted to monitor diabetic pilots to ensure that their disease was in control at the time of accidents and to discover other pilots with undiagnosed and unreported diabetes. In this study, the prevalence of elevated glucose concentrations in fatally injured civilian pilots is evaluated. Glucose and HbA1c are measured by hexokinase and latex immunoagglutination inhibition methodologies, respectively. The former was adopted at the beginning of 1998, while the latter in the middle of 2001. The analytical results are electronically stored in the CAMI Toxicology Database. This database was searched for pilots from whom samples were received during 1998-2005 and whose vitreous fluid and/or urine glucose concentrations were measured. HbA1c levels and information on diabetic pilots were also retrieved. The probable cause and contributing factors of the associated accidents were obtained from the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB's) Aviation Accident Database. Out of 1,335 pilots involving 363 vitreous fluid, 365 urine, and 607 vitreous fluid and urine analyses, 43 pilots had elevated glucose in vitreous fluid (> 125 mg/dL) and/or in urine (> 100 mg/dL). Of the 20 pilots whose blood samples were analyzed, 9 had> 6% HbA1c-4 were known diabetics (HbA1c: 7.1; 8.3; 10.8; and 12.4%), and 5 were not known diabetics (HbA1c: 6.2; 8.2; 8.3; 8.6; and 13.0%). Urinary glucose levels were elevated in all 13 known hyperglycemic pilots. One pilot had a history of renal glycosuria (low renal threshold). The disease of the 13 diabetic pilots was not in control at the time of accidents.

Drug Usage in Pilots Involved in Aviation Accidents Compared With Drug Usage in the General Population: From 1990 to 2005 ( Book )
1 edition published in 2008 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Civil aviation pilots represent a small subsection of the general population. Therefore, one might expect to see the same types of drugs used by pilots that are found in the general population. The purpose of this study was to compare usage of both illegal drugs and abused prescription medications in pilots involved in civil aviation accidents from 1990 to 2005 with that of the general population in the United States. Comparisons included abused drugs routinely screened for by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) such as marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and ecstasy, as well as prescription medications-barbiturates, benzodiazepines, opiates, and ketamine. The Civil Aerospace Medical Institute's (CAMI's) Forensic Toxicology Research Laboratory analyzes postmortem specimens collected from pilots involved in civil aviation accidents. Toxicological information for cases in which pilots were found positive for prescription or illicit compounds was obtained from CAMI's ToxFlo (DiscoverSoft Development, LLC) toxicology database. Statistics on drug usage, trends, and demographics of users in the United States were obtained from National Institute on Drug Abuse, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). Trends in illicit and prescription drug use in pilots of civil aviation accidents are comparable to those seen in emergency departments (ED) and community data from major metropolitan areas collected by DAWN and Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG). Of the 5,321 pilots involved in aviation accidents during the examined time period, there were 467 occurrences of either illicit drugs or commonly abused prescription drugs accounting for 11% of all pilots that were involved in aviation accidents.

Field Evaluation of Whole Airliner Decontamination Technologies - Wide-Body Aircraft With Dual-Use Application for Railcars ( Book )
1 edition published in 2008 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
The outcome of a field evaluation of decontamination of a wide-body aircraft using AeroClave's thermal decontamination system both as a stand-alone technology and as a means of delivering STERIS vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP)* is discussed. The report is submitted in the context of a decontamination technology selection exercise, laboratory work conducted on the efficacy of thermal decontamination, and as a follow-on to a field evaluation performed previously on a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aircraft. The thermal decontamination system appears to be capable of reproducing temperatures needed for an efficacious antiviral process. However, work will be required to improve the temperature control and humidity levels attainable. The thermal decontamination + VHP add-in combination was found to be sporicidal at numerous locations within the cabin. The impact of issues relating to the failure to deactivate Biological Indicators (BIs) in certain locations with limited peroxide penetration, condensation of peroxide within the cabin, and more generally, issues related to the presence of residual peroxide in the cabin after aeration need to be addressed. Serious weather-related disruptions and a limited budget, coupled with a tight schedule, precluded these concerns being addressed on this occasion. Overall, the field evaluation of both the stand-alone thermal decontamination system and the VHP add-in can be described as successful. *VHP is a registered trademark of the STERIS Corporation, Mentor, OH.

The Impact of Training on General Aviation Pilots' Ability to Make Strategic Weather-Related Decisions ( Book )
1 edition published in 2008 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Inadvertent flight into hazardous weather can have devastating results for general aviation pilots (NTSB, 2005; Goh and Wiegmann, 2001). In fact, weather is the leading cause of fatalities in general aviation. The purpose of this study was to determine if a graphical weather display combined with an instructional training paradigm could improve pilots' ability to maintain a safe flying distance from convective thunderstorm activity. Previous research suggested that giving pilots the ability to see accurately the weather they are flying in and around may tempt some pilots to try to fly through small breaks in the convective activity. Indeed, Beringer and Ball (2004) found that pilots using graphical weather could be classified into two types of users (tactical vs. strategic). Tactical users were those pilots who used the information to try and navigate through or very close to the hazardous weather. Strategic users were those pilots who used the graphical information to plan and maintain a safe distance (20 nautical miles or greater) from the storm. An instructional slide presentation based on the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM, 7-1-27) guidelines was developed with the intent of modifying the behavior of users classified as "tactical." Fifty-seven general aviation pilots were evaluated on a low-visibility visual flight rules (VFR) scenario where they encountered an encroaching thunderstorm traversing their flight plan. The pilots were separated into two groups, tactical or strategic users, according to how they responded to a simulated scenario of a VFR flight using a graphical weather display. Half of the pilots in each group then received training to see if it would decrease the incidence of tactical usage. Additionally, a control group was evaluated that flew the multifunction display without the graphical weather information.

Antiemetics With Concomitant Sedative Use in Civil Aviation Pilot Fatalities: From 2000 to 2006 ( Book )
1 edition published in 2007 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Many drugs commonly used for the treatment of various ailments can be dangerous when used in combination. Antiemetics and sedatives are two drug classes that contain compounds that may have harmful side effects when mixed. A drug such as chlorpheniramine with antiemetic properties can dramatically increase the negative side effects of numerous drugs in the sedative class. This phenomenon is especially dangerous for pilots. Although many of these compounds are considered disqualifying and are not allowed by the FAA, their use does occur in the pilot community. Pilots that use these drugs may be unaware of the danger that can arise when compounds from these two drug classes are taken together. Our laboratory was interested in evaluating the circumstances surrounding accidents in which the pilot was found positive for drugs from each of these two classes. Epidemiological, toxicological, and aeromedical findings from pilots involved in such accidents were collected for a 7-year period, 2000 - 2006. Case histories, accident information, and the probable cause of the aviation accidents were obtained from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Toxicological information was obtained from the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute's (CAMI's) Forensic Toxicology Research Laboratory. There were 2,184 fatal aviation accidents over this time period. Of these accidents, 26 were found positive for compounds from both the antiemetic and the sedative drug classes. All 26 aircraft were operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as general aviation. All pilots involved in these accidents were male; 21 tested positive for a disqualifying substance that may have affected their ability to control the aircraft.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors: Medical History of Fatally Injured Aviation Accident Pilots ( Book )
1 edition published in 2007 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are popularly prescribed for treating depression, but these antidepressants are not currently approved for use by U.S. civilian aviators. In a 2003 study, 4 SSRIs-citalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline-have been found in 61 pilot fatalities of civil aviation accidents that occurred during 1990-2001. However, it was not known whether these pilots had disqualifying psychological conditions, including depression, and had properly reported the use of the antidepressants. The aeromedical history of the pilots was retrieved from the FAA's Medical Certification Database; additional pilot medical information and the cause/factor of the accidents were obtained from the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB's) Aviation Accident Database. Fifty-nine pilots had medical records in the FAA's Certification Database. The database did not contain medical records of 2 pilots-1 has never received a medical certificate and another had a Canadian pilot and medical certificate. Although driving under the influence was self-reported by 22 of the 59 pilots during their past aeromedical examinations, disqualifying psychological conditions were self-reported in the past examinations of only 7 (12%) of the 59 pilots, and the use of an SSRI was reported by 3 of the 7 pilots. In later examinations, 6 of the 7 indicated that they were free from the conditions and not taking SSRIs; thus, they were reissued medical certificates. Such conditions and/or drug use were not self-reported in the aeromedical records of the 52 (88%) pilots. Nevertheless, the NTSB investigations revealed that 12 (20%) of the 61 pilots had a history of a psychological condition and/or an SSRI use, as suggested by their personal medical records. Psychological conditions and/or the use of drugs were determined to be the cause or a factor in 16 (31%) of the 61 accidents. These findings reconfirm that SSRIs were used but not reported during medical examinations.

Optical Radiation Transmittance of Aircraft Windscreens and Pilot Vision ( Book )
1 edition published in 2007 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
Optical radiation can have acute and chronic effects on the tissues of the eye, especially if exposure levels exceed normal repair capabilities. In support of a Department of Homeland Security project, the transmittance properties of aircraft windscreens were measured at the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) for both visible and invisible optical radiation. This paper focuses on windscreen transmittance in the ultraviolet (UV) (<380 nm) and visible (380-780 nm) portions of the optical spectrum. Transmission measurements were performed on eight aircraft windscreens. Three windscreens were from large commercial jets (MD 88, Airbus A320, and Boeing 727/737); two from commercial, propeller-driven passenger planes (Fokker 27 and the ATR 42); one from a small private jet (Raytheon Aircraft Corporation Hawker Horizon); and two from small general aviation (GA), single-engine, propeller-driven planes (Beech Bonanza and Cessna 182). The two GA aircraft windscreens were plastic (polycarbonate); the others were multilayer (laminated) composite glass. UV transmittance for both glass and plastic windscreens was less than 1% for UV-B (280-320 nm) radiation. In the UV-A portion (320-380 nm) of the spectrum, transmittance differences increased from 0.41% to 53.5%, with plastic attenuating more UV radiation than glass. For visible light, average transmittance from 400-600 nm (violet to orange) was similar (82.8% 4.6%) for both windscreen materials, while from 625 to 775 nm (orange to red), the difference in average transmittance increased from 9.1% to 40.0%, respectively, with plastic transmitting longer wavelengths more efficiently.

The Distribution of Fluoxetine and Norfluoxetine in Postmortem Fluids and Tissues ( Book )
1 edition published in 2007 in English and held by 1 library worldwide
During aviation accident investigations, postmortem specimens from the flight crews are submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute for toxicological analysis. Fluoxetine (Prozac) is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that was introduced in 1986. Certain side effects of this medication - drowsiness, dizziness, abnormal vision, diarrhea, and headache - could affect pilot performance and become a factor in an aviation accident. Our laboratory has determined the distribution of fluoxetine and its desmethyl metabolite, norfluoxetine, in various postmortem tissues and fluids from 10 fatal aviation accident cases. When available, 11 specimen types were analyzed for each case, including: blood, urine, vitreous humor, bile, liver, kidney, skeletal muscle, lung, spleen, heart muscle, and brain. Specimens were extracted using solid-phase extraction and analyzed by GC/MS. Deuterated fluoxetine and norfluoxetine were used as internal standards to eliminate any possible matrix effects during extraction. Blood fluoxetine concentrations in these 10 cases ranged from 21 to 1480 ng/mL. Most cases fell within the expected therapeutic range for patients that regularly take this drug. The distribution coefficients for fluoxetine were determined to be: urine 0.9 +/- 0.4, vitreous humor 0.10 +/- 0.03, bile 9 +/- 1, liver 38 +/- 10, lung 60 +/- 17, kidney 9 +/- 3, spleen 20 +/- 5, muscle 2.2 +/- 0.3, brain 15 +/- 3, and heart 10 +/- 2. While the coefficient of variation (CV) for the distribution coefficients range from 11-44%, the distribution into heart, brain, muscle, spleen, and bile is relatively reproducible, each having a CV of less or equal 25%. To our knowledge, this is the first report presenting the distribution of fluoxetine in humans at therapeutic concentrations.

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