NTSB Announces Safety Study on Drug Use in Aviation
Acting Chairman Christopher Hart said investigators wanted to look more closely at pilots and drug use.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced that investigators are completing work on a study of drug use trends in aviation.
Acting Chairman Christopher A. Hart had the following to say in testimony before the House Subcommittee on Government Operations on the federal government's response to marijuana legalization as it pertains to transportation policy: "In aviation, our investigators sometimes see evidence of drug use by pilots involved in accidents. So we decided it was time to look at this issue more in depth. In September, we will meet to discuss drug use in aviation by examining toxicology testing results conducted on fatally injured pilots."
The study hopes to describe the prevalence of drug use by aviation pilots over time, compare the prevalence of pilot drug use with that of other populations, and evaluate the need for safety improvements related to pilots' use of any drug.