Get Your Mask On

On September 5, 2014 the chairman of the TBM Owners and Pilots Association, Larry Glazer and his wife, Jane were on board a Socata TBM 900 single-engine turboprop that crashed into the ocean off the coast of Jamaica. According to the NTSB preliminary report, about an hour and a half into the flight from Rochester, New York to Naples, Florida, the pilot became unresponsive after reporting an indication that is not correct in the plane. The fighter jet pilots who escorted the aircraft to the Cuban airspace border suspected possible hypoxia.

IFR Staff

Friday, November 14, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Recent fatal aircraft accidents involving experienced pilots are strongly suspected to be caused by pilot hypoxia, highlighting its dangerous and insidious nature which can cause euphoria and impaired judgment.
Hypoxia's insidious onset can lead experienced pilots to attempt problem-solving rather than immediately recognizing and addressing oxygen deprivation, making familiarity with aircraft potentially detrimental.
A fingertip pulse oximeter is recommended as an inexpensive and powerful tool for pilots flying above 10,000 feet to regularly monitor blood oxygen saturation and detect early signs of hypoxia (below 90%).
Pilots, especially those flying above 10,000 feet in pressurized or unpressurized aircraft, should prioritize immediately donning supplemental oxygen masks as the first step in any suspected hypoxia or pressurization emergency.

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On September 5, 2014 the chairman of the TBM Owners and Pilots Association, Larry Glazer and his wife, Jane were on board a Socata TBM 900 single-engine turboprop that crashed into the ocean off the coast of Jamaica. According to the NTSB preliminary report, about an hour and a half into the flight from Rochester, New York to Naples, Florida, the pilot became unresponsive after reporting an “indication that is not correct in the plane.” The fighter jet pilots who escorted the aircraft to the Cuban airspace border suspected possible hypoxia.

On August 30, 2014 Ronald Hutchinson, a retired executive from Harley-Davidson, was on board a Cirrus SR22T which crashed into the ocean off the Virginia coast. According to the preliminary NTSB report, the aircraft took off from Waukesha, Wisconsin at 10:43 CDT and climbed to 21,000 feet. The aircraft maintained this attitude for an hour before descending first to 17,000 feet, then to 15,000 feet and finally to 13,100 feet.