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GA pilot reported being stung by an unseen; unidentified insect while fueling his aircraft at poc. Light-headedness and loss of unconsciousness occurred shortly thereafter and required hospitalization. He recommended at least a 30 minute delay for pilots who may be stung by an insect prior to any departure.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1469855 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201707 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | POC.Airport |
| State Reference | CA |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Parked |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Multiengine |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 15 Flight Crew Total 4600 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness |
Narrative:
Prior to an intended flight from poc to ZZZ; I parked at the self-serve fuel pumps to refuel. After chocking and grounding the airplane; I was stung on the wrist by an unseen/unidentified insect. Because I have been stung multiple times on several prior occasions without experiencing any adverse effects; I was not concerned; and fueled the airplane. After securing the fueling islands equipment and retrieving a receipt; I began to feel light-headed as I walked back to the airplane. Almost immediately after that; I began to develop tunnel-vision; so I walked to the empennage in front of the horizontal stabilizer and placed one hand on the empennage and the other hand on the horizontal stabilizer to brace myself. My father was with me; and at this time he noticed I was very pale and asked; 'are you alright?' I told him; 'yes; but I have a really big head-rush.' that is the last thing I remember. According to my father; I fell flat on my face so hard the ground shook. I estimate that is was only about 3 or 4 seconds from the onset of light-headedness until loss of consciousness. I estimate that it was about ten (10) minutes from the time I was stung until the moment I was able to discern the light-headedness.had my system reacted to the sting much faster; and I could have easily passed out while refueling from up on the fuel island's ladder. Had I not decided to purchase fuel at poc I could have easily passed out during taxi; takeoff; or flight. Until this incident; I did not believe I was allergic to anything. It would not have occurred to me that an insect sting could be a safety of flight issue unless the person stung either knew they were allergic; or had never been stung before. I would advise any pilot that does not believe they are allergic to insect stings to delay departure at least half an hour after being stung.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: GA pilot reported being stung by an unseen; unidentified insect while fueling his aircraft at POC. Light-headedness and loss of unconsciousness occurred shortly thereafter and required hospitalization. He recommended at least a 30 minute delay for pilots who may be stung by an insect prior to any departure.
Narrative: Prior to an intended flight from POC to ZZZ; I parked at the self-serve fuel pumps to refuel. After chocking and grounding the airplane; I was stung on the wrist by an unseen/unidentified insect. Because I have been stung multiple times on several prior occasions without experiencing any adverse effects; I was not concerned; and fueled the airplane. After securing the fueling islands equipment and retrieving a receipt; I began to feel light-headed as I walked back to the airplane. Almost immediately after that; I began to develop tunnel-vision; so I walked to the empennage in front of the horizontal stabilizer and placed one hand on the empennage and the other hand on the horizontal stabilizer to brace myself. My father was with me; and at this time he noticed I was very pale and asked; 'Are you alright?' I told him; 'Yes; but I have a really big head-rush.' That is the last thing I remember. According to my father; I fell flat on my face so hard the ground shook. I estimate that is was only about 3 or 4 seconds from the onset of light-headedness until loss of consciousness. I estimate that it was about ten (10) minutes from the time I was stung until the moment I was able to discern the light-headedness.Had my system reacted to the sting much faster; and I could have easily passed out while refueling from up on the fuel island's ladder. Had I not decided to purchase fuel at POC I could have easily passed out during taxi; takeoff; or flight. Until this incident; I did not believe I was allergic to anything. It would not have occurred to me that an insect sting could be a safety of flight issue unless the person stung either knew they were allergic; or had never been stung before. I would advise any pilot that does not believe they are allergic to insect stings to delay departure at least half an hour after being stung.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.