Sleep Inertia als Herausforderung für die kommerzielle Luftfahrt

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG

Neueste Entwicklungen in Technologie und Automatisierung lassen das kommerzielle Fliegen mit minimaler Besatzung, sog. extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCOs), möglich erscheinen. In eMCOs hat während des Reiseflugs ein Pilot die Kontrolle (Pilot Flying), während der andere sich in einer Ruhephase befindet (Pilot Resting). In einem Notfall kann es passieren, dass der Pilot Resting aus dem Schlaf heraus die Kontrolle übernehmen muss. In diesem Fall steht er unter dem Einfluss von Sleep Inertia (zu Deutsch: Schlafträgheit), die das kognitive Leistungsvermögen stark beeinträchtigen kann. Es muss daher geprüft werden, inwiefern ein Pilot unter Sleep Inertia in der Lage ist, die an ihn gestellten Aufgaben sicher zu bearbeiten. In diesem Übersichtsartikel beleuchten wir Einflussfaktoren von Sleep Inertia; Herausforderungen, die Sleep Inertia an die Luftfahrt stellt; Studien zu kognitiven Leistungseinbußen durch Sleep Inertia bei Piloten; und potenzielle Gegenmaßnahmen.

ABSTRACT

In view of recent developments in technology and automation in commercial aviation, flights with reduced crews appear possible. In so-called extended Minimum-Crew Operations (eMCOs), one pilot has control over the aircraft (Pilot Flying) during cruise phase while the other pilot is allowed to rest (Pilot Resting). In eMCOs, sleep inertia – a state of cognitive impairment right after awakening – is a central safety hazard in case the eMCO segment is aborted and the Pilot Resting needs to assume control while still cognitively impaired by sleep inertia. In this review article, we discuss factors that influence sleep inertia; challenges that sleep inertia poses to aviation safety; studies on sleep inertia-induced cognitive impairments of pilots; and potential countermeasures.

Key words

reduced crew - pilots - aircrew - fatigue - cognitive performance

Publication History

Article published online:
29 May 2024

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