This study analyzed the causes of regional airline pilot fatigue and the impact on pilot performance. An instrument was developed and refined through a field study validation by a panel of experts. The final instrument was distributed to three groups of regional airline pilots. The data supported the literature review, which revealed many causes of pilot fatigue, including flight crew schedules that are not compatible with human limitations; Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) that have not evolved with the advancement of aircraft performance and the public demand for 24 hour availability of flights; and poor personal habits. An analysis of the data and literature led to the following conclusions: (a) the existing flight crew schedules and FARs pertaining to flight time limitations and rest requirements are not compatible with human limitations, (b) fatigue has a negative impact on pilot performance, and (c) pilot fatigue has been a contributing factor in many aircraft accidents and incidents.
","abstract_html":"<p>This study analyzed the causes of regional airline pilot fatigue and the impact on pilot performance. An instrument was developed and refined through a field study validation by a panel of experts. The final instrument was distributed to three groups of regional airline pilots. The data supported the literature review, which revealed many causes of pilot fatigue, including flight crew schedules that are not compatible with human limitations; Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) that have not evolved with the advancement of aircraft performance and the public demand for 24 hour availability of flights; and poor personal habits. An analysis of the data and literature led to the following conclusions: (a) the existing flight crew schedules and FARs pertaining to flight time limitations and rest requirements are not compatible with human limitations, (b) fatigue has a negative impact on pilot performance, and (c) pilot fatigue has been a contributing factor in many aircraft accidents and incidents.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Mikkelsen, Doug"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Aeronautical Science","degree_level":"Thesis - Open Access","degree_discipline":"Aeronautical Science","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Thomas Weitzel","Dr. Steven Hampton","Donald Hunt"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1998,"date_issued":"1998-07-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"1998-07-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:23Z","subjects":["human factors","fatigue","airline pilots","Aviation","Aviation Safety and Security"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/db-theses/145","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Thomas Weitzel","Dr. Steven Hampton","Donald Hunt"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Mikkelsen, Doug"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Aeronautical Science"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Aeronautical Science"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["human factors","fatigue","airline pilots","Aviation","Aviation Safety and Security"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/db-theses/145"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study analyzed the causes of regional airline pilot fatigue and the impact on pilot performance. An instrument was developed and refined through a field study validation by a panel of experts. The final instrument was distributed to three groups of regional airline pilots. The data supported the literature review, which revealed many causes of pilot fatigue, including flight crew schedules that are not compatible with human limitations; Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) that have not evolved with the advancement of aircraft performance and the public demand for 24 hour availability of flights; and poor personal habits. An analysis of the data and literature led to the following conclusions: (a) the existing flight crew schedules and FARs pertaining to flight time limitations and rest requirements are not compatible with human limitations, (b) fatigue has a negative impact on pilot performance, and (c) pilot fatigue has been a contributing factor in many aircraft accidents and incidents.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Fatigue: Investigation of a Human Factor for Regional Airline Pilots"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Thomas Weitzel","Dr. Steven Hampton","Donald Hunt"],"dc:creator":["Mikkelsen, Doug"],"dc:description.abstract":["This study analyzed the causes of regional airline pilot fatigue and the impact on pilot performance. An instrument was developed and refined through a field study validation by a panel of experts. The final instrument was distributed to three groups of regional airline pilots. The data supported the literature review, which revealed many causes of pilot fatigue, including flight crew schedules that are not compatible with human limitations; Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) that have not evolved with the advancement of aircraft performance and the public demand for 24 hour availability of flights; and poor personal habits. An analysis of the data and literature led to the following conclusions: (a) the existing flight crew schedules and FARs pertaining to flight time limitations and rest requirements are not compatible with human limitations, (b) fatigue has a negative impact on pilot performance, and (c) pilot fatigue has been a contributing factor in many aircraft accidents and incidents.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/db-theses/145"],"dc:subject":["human factors","fatigue","airline pilots","Aviation","Aviation Safety and Security"],"dc:title":["Fatigue: Investigation of a Human Factor for Regional Airline Pilots"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Aeronautical Science"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Aeronautical Science"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:23Z"}