ALCOHOL IN AVIATION-RELATED FATALITIES - NORTH-CAROLINA, 1985-1994

Background: Previous studies examining the role of alcohol in aviation safety have been limited to pilots and the estimated degree of alcoho l involvement in fatal aviation crashes was susceptible to selection b ias because alcohol testing was not conducted on a routine basis. This study examines the magnitude of and factors related to alcohol involv ement in both pilot and non-pilot aviation fatalities. Methods: We ana lyzed medical examiner data on all victims who died in civilian aircra ft crashes in North Carolina during 1985-94, complemented by crash inv estigation data from the National Transportation Safety Board. Results : During the 10-yr study period, the North Carolina Medical Examiner I nformation System recorded 337 aviation-related fatalities including 1 1 1 pilots. Alcohol testing was performed on 91% of the pilots and 72 % of the non-pilot occupants. Of the victims who were tested for alcoh ol, 12% (7% of the pilots and 15% of non-pilot occupants) had positive blood alcohol concentrations (BACs), ranging from 0.02 to 0.14%. All four victims with BACs greater than 0.10% were pilots aged 20-29 yr wh o were fatally injured in nighttime general aviation crashes. In crash es of commercial flights, none of the pilots tested positive for alcoh ol, whereas 20% of the non-pilot occupants had positive BACs. Conclusi ons: Intoxicated flying, particularly among young general aviation pil ots, is still a valid concern. The aviation safety implications of alc ohol use by passengers of commercial flights should be further examine d.