CBC Examines Pilot Fatigue: March 24 to 26
Exhausted Pilots, Fatal Accidents and Outdated Air Industry Regulations are Examined in a CBC News Exclusive Investigation
March 24-26 On CBC
Pilot fatigue. No amount of training or experience can compensate for a pilot who is flying while severely sleep deprived or who has worked excessive hours without rest. And while this problem only makes headlines when tragedy strikes, it may be happening more often than you realize. Dead Tired, a CBC News investigation, sheds light on this dangerous circumstance and asks if Canadian regulators are doing enough to ensure pilots aren’t flying exhausted behind the controls. What the investigation reveals will shock you.
THE NATIONAL – Wednesday, March 24 and Friday, March 26 on CBC Television at 10 p.m. (10:30 NT), and on CBC News Network at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET/PT.
Part one of The National’s two-part investigation focuses on a Quebec plane crash that happened 10 years ago – a crash that displayed all the classic elements of fatigue. Reporter Frederic Zalac talks with Serge Gagne, the pilot of Regionnair flight 347, who reveals for the first time exactly what happened that night. During the course of the investigation, The National discovers not much has changed in Canada’s airline regulations when it comes to pilot fatigue since that accident, despite the fact that more than a dozen airline crashes in Canada may also be linked to pilot fatigue.
In the conclusion of The National’s investigation, the role of Transport Canada is looked at: is the industry regulator doing enough to ensure pilots aren’t pressured by unscrupulous or poorly regulated airlines to exceed the maximum 14-hour day? CBC News looks at the crash last February of Continental Flight 3407 near Buffalo, N.Y., which killed 49 people and the role pilot exhaustion may have played. And Canada’s airline regulatory system is compared to those of other countries – New Zealand, in particular, which is held up as a leader in regulating its domestic airline industry and reducing crashes linked to pilot fatigue.
THE CURRENT – Thursday, March 25 at 8:30 a.m. (9 NT) on CBC Radio One
The Current’s Gino Harel probes why Canada lags behind many other countries when it comes to regulating flight and duty times to combat pilot fatigue. While aircraft are checked to make sure they are mechanically sound, concern exists about pilots. Some are being asked to work long hours, crisscrossing time zones without getting enough of a break to recharge and be alert. This can – and has – led to pilot error with tragic results.
Tune in to CBC News Network, Thursday, March 25, for continuing all-day coverage of this exclusive investigation; your source for Dead Tired online is CBCNews.ca
Link to CBC's The National Two Part Investigation, "Dead Tired"
Link to CBC's "Pilot Fatigue Raised in Canadian Crashes" (includes audio link to The Current)
