The effects of tobacco on aviation safety

In 1976, the Federal Aviation Administration was petitioned to issue regulations that would prohibit all smoking in the cockpit during commercial flight operations and prohibit preflight smoking by flight crewmembers within 8 h before commercial flight operations. A review of the literature was conducted to determine the effects on pilot performance of carbon monoxide (CO), nicotine, and smoking withdrawal. The records of 2,660 fatal general aviation aircraft accidents in 1973-1976 have been examined. Smoking was not identified as a causal factor but may have contributed to the cause of some of these accidents. However, the compound factors that were often found and the dire consequences are far less likely to occur in air commerce operations. For some, withdrawal symptoms may occur and more than offset any benefits to aviation safety that are claimed for a ban on preflight and in-flight smoking.