Neuropsychological screening of aviators: a review

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating the possibility of including a mini-mental status exam as part of the Aviation Medical Exam. We review evidence that if such a policy is to be implemented, present mental status tests are likely to be inadequate for the job for two reasons. First, they are likely to tap a level of cognitive ability below that required for proficient piloting and second, they may not tap some cognitive skills that are relevant to aviation. We suggest that a new mini-mental status test comprised of already existing neuropsychological tests could be devised that would overcome these difficulties.