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Air carrier captain reported significant safety compromises with wearing face masks during the covid-19 pandemic and associated problems with oxygen masks.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1741398 |
| Time | |
| Date | 202005 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | No Aircraft |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Deviation - Procedural FAR |
Narrative:
Face masks may be used during flight as a preventative measure against the spread of covid-19. This poses significant safety compromises.the over/continued use of face masks has been linked to unconsciousness due to insufficient oxygen intake/excessive carbon dioxide intake.masks also cause communications barriers in already noisy fight decks. Should an explosive decompression occur; time of useful consciousness at typical flight levels is approximately 15-30 seconds. Time is critical. Modern airliners utilize quick-don pilot oxygen masks for a reason. Has the FAA conducted extensive testing verifying face masks will not interfere with oxygen mask use? If not; face masks must be removed before oxygen mask use. A process that will take critical time at a critical time. Should the face mask be pulled down below the chin or should it be remove above the head? How will a tied face mask be quickly untied? Pilots have received zero training in these tasks. These questions pose serious risks until they are analyzed.because of the extreme risks to flight safety should oxygen masks be immediately required; the FAA must immediately intervene and prohibit face mask use during flight until they have specifically tested various face mask types and determine which; if any; are safe for use in flight.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Air carrier Captain reported significant safety compromises with wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated problems with oxygen masks.
Narrative: Face masks may be used during flight as a preventative measure against the spread of COVID-19. This poses significant safety compromises.The over/continued use of face masks has been linked to unconsciousness due to insufficient oxygen intake/excessive carbon dioxide intake.Masks also cause communications barriers in already noisy fight decks. Should an explosive decompression occur; time of useful consciousness at typical flight levels is approximately 15-30 seconds. Time is critical. Modern airliners utilize quick-don pilot oxygen masks for a reason. Has the FAA conducted extensive testing verifying face masks will not interfere with oxygen mask use? If not; face masks must be removed before oxygen mask use. A process that will take critical time at a critical time. Should the face mask be pulled down below the chin or should it be remove above the head? How will a tied face mask be quickly untied? Pilots have received zero training in these tasks. These questions pose serious risks until they are analyzed.Because of the extreme risks to flight safety should oxygen masks be immediately required; the FAA must immediately intervene and prohibit face mask use during flight until they have specifically tested various face mask types and determine which; if any; are safe for use in flight.
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.