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American Morning

Pilot Fatigue Top Concern for NTSB, Unions

Aired May 23, 2001 - 10:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: For many of us, a poor night's sleep could mean an even worse day at work, tired, sluggish, and maybe a bit inattentive. But what if hundreds of lives depend on you performing your job being flawlessly?

That question may not be as disturbing as the answer, depending on who you ask.

Here's CNN's Patty Davis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Federal accident investigators say pilot fatigue may have been a factor in the crash of this American Airlines flight nearly two years as it skidded off the runway in Little Rock, Arkansas. The pilot and 10 others were killed.

Pilot fatigue has become a top concern for the National Transportation Safety Board and pilots unions.

DAN WOERTH, PRESIDENT, AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION: Human error is caused by fatigue. If we're going to continue to make this industry safer, we have to eliminate this human error, and the best way to do that is to have completely rested pilots.

DAVIS; The Federal Aviation Administration requires pilots to have at least eight hours of rest in any 24-hour period. That means pilots can work 16-hour days, but delays sometimes make it a longer day.

In a recent clarification of it rule, the FAA says it will not longer allow airlines to require pilots to work more than 16 hours. But airlines say the stricter interpretation will play havoc with their schedules.

CAROL HALLETT, PRESIDENT, AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION: If you already have departed the gate, and you now get caught up in a two- or three-hour weather delay, and you know you will go over your duty day, then you will have to turn around and go back, climb out of the cockpit, and the chances of getting a backup pilot, in most cases, will be very difficult, so that flight will be canceled.

DAVIS: The airlines are suing the FAA to stop a 16-hour pilot workday. Pilots say the problem is particularly acute at regional and cargo airlines. A NASA study of regional airlines found 89 percent of pilots rated fatigue as a moderate to serious concern; 88 percent say fatigue is a common occurrence; and 86 percent reported they received no training on fatigue from their companies.

Pilots and the airlines are holding separate conferences on pilot fatigue, a sign there's little agreement on just how many hours pilots should put in.

Patty Davis, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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