Mandatory Sleep Testing for All Overweight Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers
By Dr. Dan Hilton
In
Oral Health
February 21, 2020
The Federal Aviation Administration is attempting to implement a program requiring all overweight pilots and air traffic controllers to undergo testing for sleep disorders. This came about after several highly publicized incidents involving sleeping or fatigued pilots and controllers. The proposed order, announced last week by the FAA’s federal air surgeon, could apply to about 125,000 of the nation’s 600,000 commercial and private pilots, and an unknown number of the nation’s 14,500 controllers.
Under the new policy being proposed, all pilots and controllers will be screened during their routine medical examinations. Those with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater and a neck circumference of 17 inches would have to be tested for obstructive sleep apnea. A BMI of 40 equates to a 5-foot, 11-inch man weighing 287 pounds.
Sleep apnea, which can cause fatigue, is “almost universal” in people who fit those criteria. Under this proposed mandate, pilots diagnosed with sleep disorders must be treated before they receive a medical certification needed to fly. There will be a consideration to examine pilots with a lower BMI until all pilots with suspicion for any sleep related breathing disorders are properly treated.