The issue of fatigue in the cockpit, and outside it among maintenance personnel for example, has been on the agenda for some time now and
things were brought to a head by the Colgan Air crash in Buffalo on Feb. 12, 2009.
Predictably, the reactions are varied and range from the studied to the opportunistic. Clearly, something as complex as human fatigue can only be addressed on a scientific basis applied in the specific aviation context. Traditional ways of regulations and compliance monitoring may also need to be reviewed before they are pronounced as the solution to this very real problem.
For some airlines fatigue risk management is nothing new and they have long ago adjusted their crew scheduling and fatigue reporting practices to mitigate the risk as much as possible. For others, the task is still looming large.
Mr. William R. Voss, President and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation gave a testimony on 1 December 2009 to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Aviation Hearing on Aviation Safety: Pilot fatigue.
He too argues for a balanced and well reasoned approach, something that is scaleable to suit both major and smaller operators and points out that some measures that do not necessarily require a regulatory approach can be implemented now. Which is not to say that there is no need for new rules that reflect the latest scientific knowledge about fatigue and the risks it entails.
You can read the full text of the testimony here.