B206 Fatality Maitland NSW
Joined: Sep 2002
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,721
Likes: 637
From: Great South East, tired and retired
Should pilots over some stated age be required to undergo a Heart Stress Test along with the ECG testing?
"Are you feeling OK, Noel?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, just fine."
"Stop right now, you are having a heart attack."
"...............oh....."
Joined: Apr 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 10,959
Likes: 1,814
From: EGDC
Same in UK AC, I've done a few 24 hour BP tests and stress ECG treadmill runs in the past as well as ultrasound examination - the cardiologist said he wasn't treating the 58 year old me (as I was at the time) he was treating the 70 year old me to make sure I got there. Low levels of meds have kept BP in limits, diet and exercise does the rest.
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 880
Likes: 225
From: Australia
There was also an ATSB news release related to the final report: "JetRanger accident highlights importance of pilots properly declaring all medical information":
https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/news-i...al-information
What I find perhaps most disconcerting in the report is this:
"...Also at 1614, the pilot received and answered a call from an unknown person for 27 seconds. The call ended about 60 seconds before the accident. Despite numerous attempts, the ATSB was unable to establish contact with this caller to seek any further information on the situation with the pilot at that time".
To put this call into context, I have attempted to annotate various events in the report roughly when they occurred on the ATSB's Figure 3. This call was after the pair of turn-backs and some low and slow flight. I assume the ATSB has the number of this call, just hasn't reached the caller. Surely that caller could add whether the pilot expressed any concerns such as chest pain. Wouldn't they come forward?
https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/news-i...al-information
What I find perhaps most disconcerting in the report is this:
"...Also at 1614, the pilot received and answered a call from an unknown person for 27 seconds. The call ended about 60 seconds before the accident. Despite numerous attempts, the ATSB was unable to establish contact with this caller to seek any further information on the situation with the pilot at that time".
To put this call into context, I have attempted to annotate various events in the report roughly when they occurred on the ATSB's Figure 3. This call was after the pair of turn-backs and some low and slow flight. I assume the ATSB has the number of this call, just hasn't reached the caller. Surely that caller could add whether the pilot expressed any concerns such as chest pain. Wouldn't they come forward?
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 842
Likes: 104
From: Kiwiland
I really think this was solely incapacitation from coronary artery disease and it is unlikely the other issues played a significant part. The pilot may well have had no specific symptoms and indeed reported he was 'OK' during the event.
It seems the pilot underwent more investigations than was actually required (tested after renewal) and that he was compliant with it. The definitive test is either an angiogram or a CT angiogram and he had the latter so the stress test and ECG are irrelevant as issues with either lead to a CTA. The concern is that the CTA failed to demonstrate the degree of disease found at post mortem. I wont speculate on the reason in public but it shows that our systems are certainly not foolproof. Belated commiserations.
It seems the pilot underwent more investigations than was actually required (tested after renewal) and that he was compliant with it. The definitive test is either an angiogram or a CT angiogram and he had the latter so the stress test and ECG are irrelevant as issues with either lead to a CTA. The concern is that the CTA failed to demonstrate the degree of disease found at post mortem. I wont speculate on the reason in public but it shows that our systems are certainly not foolproof. Belated commiserations.
