Office of Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports
FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-78/25
Title and Subtitle: Characteristics of medically disqualified airman applicants in calendar years 1975 and 1976
Report Date: September 1978
Authors: Dark SJ, Davis AW
Abstract: This study provides comprehensive data reflecting pertinent denial rates with respect to the medical and general attributes of those airmen denied medical certification in calendar years 1975 and 1976. Also provided are such descriptive epidemiologic data as age, sex, occupation, class of medical certificate applied for, total flying time, and cause-specific annual denial rates for medically disqualified applicants. Data on airline pilot denials are also included.
The annual denial rate based on airman applicants is 7.9 per 1, 000 airmen. By class of certificate applied for, the annual denial rate per 1, 000 applicants is 4.5 for the first class, 6.0 for second class, and 10.2 for third class. As anticipated, general aviation and new applicants contributed greatly to total denials, reflecting that the latter are being screened for the first time.
The most significant causes for denial (regardless of class applied for) are cardiovascular, the miscellaneous pathology category (endocrinopathies, disqualifying medications, and administrative denials), neuropsychiatric, and at a substantially lower level, eye pathology. Age-cause-specific findings for airline pilots follow epidemiologic expectations, with age being a significant variable associated with increased rates.
Key Words: Airman certification (medical), Pilots--Denied, Statistical analysis
No. of Pages: 28
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-78/25
Title and Subtitle: Characteristics of medically disqualified airman applicants in calendar years 1975 and 1976
Report Date: September 1978
Authors: Dark SJ, Davis AW
Abstract: This study provides comprehensive data reflecting pertinent denial rates with respect to the medical and general attributes of those airmen denied medical certification in calendar years 1975 and 1976. Also provided are such descriptive epidemiologic data as age, sex, occupation, class of medical certificate applied for, total flying time, and cause-specific annual denial rates for medically disqualified applicants. Data on airline pilot denials are also included.
The annual denial rate based on airman applicants is 7.9 per 1, 000 airmen. By class of certificate applied for, the annual denial rate per 1, 000 applicants is 4.5 for the first class, 6.0 for second class, and 10.2 for third class. As anticipated, general aviation and new applicants contributed greatly to total denials, reflecting that the latter are being screened for the first time.
The most significant causes for denial (regardless of class applied for) are cardiovascular, the miscellaneous pathology category (endocrinopathies, disqualifying medications, and administrative denials), neuropsychiatric, and at a substantially lower level, eye pathology. Age-cause-specific findings for airline pilots follow epidemiologic expectations, with age being a significant variable associated with increased rates.
Key Words: Airman certification (medical), Pilots--Denied, Statistical analysis
No. of Pages: 28
Last updated: Friday, June 1, 2012