Mint Explainer: Are pilot deaths indicative of fatigue?

livemint.com:

reality of maximizing aircraft utilization for revenue often results in a stressful environment for pilots due to tight scheduling. “Cumulative fatigue has started showing its results and it is time that DGCA maintains a record of pilot demise and unfit issues due to conditions related to the heart," a pilot said on condition of anonymity. In fact, Airlines Pilots’ Association of India has written to pilots regarding the urgent need of a mega body of Indian pilots under industry veteran Captain Shakti Lumba.

“The matter is of urgent attention as the worldwide flying fraternity has lost three pilots in 2 days due to cardiac arrest and this, we believe is attributable in no small measure to the working conditions that we are subjected to," Capt Sam Thomas President of the pilot body wrote in the letter. DGCA norms say that airlines shall establish a clear policy with respect to fatigue reports. The policy should state not only ‘how to raise’ a report but also ‘what to do’ in response to a fatigue report.

All the fatigue reports and the Action Taken reports shall be preserved by the operator for a period of minimum one year and be made available to the DGCA as and when required. “There is a need for airlines and the regulator to focus on these fatigue reports at a microscopic level," another pilot said. Airlines generally maintain a policy of counseling pilots reporting excessive fatigue.

However, monitoring the frequency of these reports is often neglected. Pilots have long been concerned about their well-being, especially when rostered for back-to-back night shifts. The incident involving the IndiGo pilot, who had undertaken two consecutive night shifts, emphasizes this concern.