The Look of Tiredness: Evaluation of Pilot Fatigue Based on Video Recordings

Abstract

The present study explores the usefulness of a method to evaluate pilot fatigue based on video recordings. This technique is already being successfully applied in the field of driver fatigue evaluations. Still, to date, there is no known application concerning pilot fatigue. A sample of five trained raters evaluated four active airline pilots on simulated flights using a 9-point fatigue rating scale. The rating scale was adjusted for the aviation context and features 10 subscales relating to different indicators for fatigue. Interrater agreement and reliability, as well as intrarater and retest reliability, were assessed. The results indicate good reliability of the method and medium rater agreement. Raters seem to have established a good mental model of fatigue, leading to consistent evaluations. However, there are also individual rating tendencies as well as the influence of sample characteristics.