GA1318

Firstly, CHIRP commends the reporter for their frank and open report in describing an incident that was not their finest hour. It takes real courage to do so, and is in the finest traditions of making safety information available to all for the benefit of others who might otherwise fall into the same trap. The reporter identified a number of things that they might have been done differently in other circumstances and the important thing now is to take those lessons onboard and resist the same temptations again. Reports such as these about things that ‘nearly went wrong’ provide a host of lessons that are useful education for all so please do send them to CHIRP for wider publication – you do not need to be concerned about being identified, we take great efforts to disidentify any reports we publish so that reporters can feel safe in sending in their experiences and lessons for others without fear of personal condemnation.

Fatigue and fitness to fly is not just an issue for the commercial world but needs to be considered by all pilots so that we avoid making mistakes when we are tired. The handy mnemonic IAMSAFE is a good way of reviewing yourself to see if you are fit to fly, not only in respect of fatigue/tiredness but in other physiological aspects. But you must do so honestly and thoroughly. Personal performance and tiredness are notoriously difficult to self-evaluate (we all tend to over-estimate our abilities), and so it takes real discipline to admit to ourselves that we perhaps shouldn’t be flying, driving or operating machinery when we are below par. CHIRP thinks that the IAMSAFE mnemonic should be more widely publicised than the current ‘IM SAFE’ in the Skyway Code because IAMSAFE also includes the important ‘Attitude’ aspect of whether you are emotionally ready and focussed on the flight so we’ve written to the CAA to see if they might update their publications. Another factor in this incident was self-induced pressure to fly because of a sense of duty to friends or others who might be relying on you. Again, it’s easier said than done, but we must all resist such temptations to ‘press on’ out of a misplaced sense of duty when we’re unfit, the weather is poorer than expected, or some other problem arises that we know we shouldn’t overlook but are tempted to do so to ‘get the job done’ and not let others down.

 I – Illness (do I have any symptoms that might affect my ability to fly?)

A – Attitude (am I emotionally ready and fully focussed on the flight?)

M – Medication (am I taking any prescription or over-the-counter drugs that might affect my performance?)

S – Stress (am I under pressure or have any worries and anxieties?)

A – Alcohol (have I been drinking within the last 24 hours?)¹

F – Fatigue (am I tired or not adequately rested?)

E – Eating (am I adequately nourished?)

[1] Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 Part 5 ‘Aviation: Alcohol and Drugs’ S.93 ‘Prescribed limit’ states:

(1)  A person commits an offence if—

(a)  he performs an aviation function at a time when the proportion of alcohol in his breath, blood or urine exceeds the prescribed limit, or

(b). he carries out an activity which is ancillary to an aviation function at a time when the proportion of alcohol in his breath, blood or urine exceeds the prescribed limit.

(2). The prescribed limit of alcohol is (subject to subsection (3))—

(a). in the case of breath, 9 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres,

(b). in the case of blood, 20 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres, and

(c). in the case of urine, 27 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres.