European Cockpit Association: Three-Quarters of 7,200 Pilots Experienced Microsleep in Flight Over Past 4 Weeks

According to a study conducted by the European Cockpit Association (ECA) with approximately 7,200 captain and first officers, three-quarters of survey respondents in an August poll reported experiencing at least one episode of microsleep during flight over the preceding four weeks. Microsleep describes brief moments of sleep lasting several seconds that occur beyond a person's control.

Half of the participants admitted to flying while too fatigued to do so safely in the three months before the survey. Twenty-four percent of pilots said they continued with their duties rather than reporting themselves unfit to fly due to fatigue, while 16.8% reported taking sick leave instead of filing a report in such situations.

Only 11.9% said they trusted their airline's fatigue reporting system. Approximately half of pilots said they feared negative management reaction if they reported being unable to perform their duties due to fatigue. About 70% expressed concern they would face problems if they refused to extend working hours.

Pilots employed by airlines based in Ireland and Malta were among the groups with the highest rates of experiencing microsleep in the cockpit and anxiety about management reaction. Only 15.6% of pilots working for low-cost carriers believed their company managed fatigue risk well, while airlines based in Spain, Ireland, and France showed high rates of pilots continuing to fly despite fatigue. At UK-based airlines, this rate remained at approximately one in ten.

The Guardian reported the survey findings.