Coupled With ‘Get-There-Itis,’ Fatigue Can Kill Pilots

Research has shown tiredness has the same effect on cognitive capabilities as alcohol.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, August 13, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Fatigue is an occupational hazard for pilots. [FLYING Archive]

Key Takeaways:

Fatigue is a widespread and dangerous issue for pilots, especially CFIs due to demanding schedules often exceeding regulatory limits, leading to incidents where instructors fall asleep during flights.
Research indicates that fatigue severely impairs cognitive abilities, reaction time, and situational awareness—comparable to the effects of alcohol—and is exacerbated by disrupted circadian rhythms.
The tragic 1996 Dubroff crash exemplifies how pilot fatigue, combined with external pressures ("get-there-itis") and poor decision-making in adverse conditions, can lead to fatal accidents, serving as a critical lesson for aviation safety.

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“I looked over and he was sound asleep.”

That’s how an instrument candidate described an experience he had during a training flight at night. He was under the hood, and they were on an IFR flight plan and going in and out of the clouds. The candidate was confused by a radio call, and when he looked over at his CFI, he saw the man was asleep, so he quickly nudged him to wake him up. The CFI regained consciousness, but the event still rattled the student, who wondered how long the CFI had been “out.”