Drug Use Reported by U.S. Pilots, 2009-2014.

Area of Science:

• Aviation Safety
• Pharmacovigilance
• Aeromedical Psychology

Background:

• Increasing drug use among pilots poses a potential risk for aircraft accidents.
• Pilots may not consistently report all medications to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
• Accurate medication reporting is crucial for maintaining aviation safety standards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare pilot-reported medications with post-accident toxicology findings.
• To assess the veracity of pilot medication disclosures to the FAA.
• To identify factors influencing truthful medication reporting by pilots.

Main Methods:

• Compared medications listed on U.S. pilot medical certificate applications against post-accident toxicology results.
• Employed logistic regression analysis with covariates: Age, Gender, Flight Operation Type, Medical Class, and Special Issuance (SI) status.
• Truthful medication reporting was the primary outcome variable.

Main Results:

• Pilot age and possessing a Special Issuance (SI) medical certificate significantly predicted truthful medication reporting.
• Each year of age increased the probability of truthful reporting by 5%; pilots with an SI were 3.12 times more likely to be truthful.
• For cardiovascular drugs specifically, age was the sole significant predictor, with a 3% increase in truthful reporting probability per year of age.

Conclusions:

• The likelihood of pilots accurately reporting medication use improves with advancing age and the presence of an SI medical certificate.
• Age is a key factor in truthful reporting, particularly for cardiovascular medications.
• Findings underscore the importance of considering pilot demographics and medical certification status in assessing medication disclosure accuracy.