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Hypoxia in Aviation Assignment
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Added on 2020-03-23
Hypoxia in Aviation Assignment
Added on 2020-03-23
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HYPOXIA IN AVIATION 1HYPOXIA HAZARD IN AVIATIONStudent’s Name Professor’s nameInstitutions nameCity, stateDate of submission
HYPOXIA IN AVIATION 2EFFECTS OF HYPOXIA TO A PILOTHypoxia is a deficiency to a human body that occurs as a result of lack of sufficientoxygen in the body. It is tumor caused by a decrease in molecular concentration of the oxygenmolecule. In aviation, it is caused by decreased pressure in oxygen emanating from an increasein altitude levels which are beyond human compatibility. Studies show that, for every breath ofair, the body absorbs a certain percentage of oxygen. When frying higher, the percentages of aircomposition remain constant in the atmosphere. However, at a peak elevation, the air becomes less dense therefore decreasing the bodiescapability to absorb oxygen Gas. A study by (Acharya 2017, P, 696-707) in his journal ofinformatics shows that atmospheric pressure at 10,000 feet can be approximated to two-thirds ofthe available oxygen to breathe. This causes depressurization and therefore leads to hypoxiawhich has remained to be an ever-present disaster in aviation, leading to a lot of negativities suchas accidents and poor performance. This hypoxia disaster has adverse effects to the pilots who engage in aircraft operations.There are different types of Hypoxia associated with a deficiency in oxygen. The common typewhich is usually experienced at high altitudes where the air density is insufficient is known ashypoxic hypoxia. At higher altitudes, there also exists another form of hypoxia known ashypemic hypoxia. It occurs when the hemoglobin molecule in the blood fails to transport theoxygen inhaled. Following studies from a book by (Alexander 2014, P, and 575-242) it can be deducedthat this happens because the carbon monoxide gas binds in an irreversible way to thehemoglobin, therefore, loading the body fluid transport mechanism. Regarding health, the
HYPOXIA IN AVIATION 3impact of this disaster, to the pilot on the flight, lack of sufficient oxygen at a higher altitudebecomes one of the most dangerous occurrences that can lead to sudden death. This happenssuch that in high altitudes, there exists little oxygen pressure which has little capability to pushthe oxygen gas into the human lungs, and the bloodstream upon inhaling. As a result of this decrease in oxygen gas in the body, its supply to body tissues andorgans is undermined. This results to malfunctioning of various organs in the body such as brainheart and kidneys. When organs are impaired, human life faces a threat since they are the coreorgans that support human life. This oxygen starvation is the reason behind death occurrencesthat are witnessed in aircraft operations. For example, in Greek history, a plane by the nameHelios Airways which originated from Larnaca international airport having carried 115passengers and six cabbing crews faced an accident as a result of oxygen starvation. The incident happened when the crew encountered loss of pressurized oxygen. Thismade them leave the aircraft swaying in the air and finally landed on the ground leading to thedeath of a great number of people. Mind disorientation is another effect of hypoxia that happensto a pilot. Since hypoxia is a process which happens bit by bit, one cannot realize its suffering,until he or she experiences oxygen starvation. A Research by (Albright 2015, P, 63) has it thathypoxia gives poor judgment to a pilot. This happens where at the initial stages of its experience, a pilot feels like havingundergone alcohol toxicities. Since oxygen starvation firstly strikes the brain, the critical order ofjudgment that happens in the brain becomes disoriented. The pilot starts having a misleadingpleasant leading to a false sense of security. This can make the pilot fry higher until the hypoxiais severe enough to cause death.
HYPOXIA IN AVIATION 4Hypoxia is associated with somebody effects is also termed to bring about motionsickness. This happens where while in motion, a pilot starts experiencing strange feelings andblurred vision. For example, upon facing hypoxia, a pilot may start experiencing narrow visionswhile the piloting instruments start having a frizzy appearance. Also, as the pilot moves higher,his or her lips and skin under the fingernails start turning blue while the heartbeat presentspalpitations.This effect disorients the pilot's concentration which results in aircraft accidents. Forexample, Boeing 747-206B aircraft involved an accident caused by hypoxia experienced by theoperator KLM Royal Dutch airlines. The flight originated from Schiphol airport in AmsterdamNetherlands it was meant to land at Gran Canaria airport but crashed on the way leading to atotal loss of 248 fatalities.Hypoxia also has adverse effects on psychomotor performance. This means that when apilot experiences hypoxia, he or she losses ideology and coordination of the aircraft. Due to theseimpairments, a pilot cannot be able to control the aircraft since it requires a sober mind free fromdestruction. Referring to the body effects of hypoxia, it has been observed that loss ofconsciousness is one of oxygen starvation effect.(Ali and Darnel 2017, P, 446-505) explains thatthis oxygen starvation can make the pilot collapse leaving the aircraft unattended.This causes the aircraft to descend and crush resulting to the death of the people in flight.Hypoxia also instills fatigue to the pilots leading to poor psychomotor performance. Where thefatigue generated, cause drowsiness resulting to poor concentration. This fatigue might alsocause the pilot not to notice the direction of flight thereby facing sudden collisions. It is alsooutlined that, it is hard to note the onset of hypoxia. This is put forth by the fact that Hypoxia
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