Accidents
NTSB: Drug Detection Up among Pilots Killed in Accidents
Study examined toxicology results from 2018 through 2022
Percent of fatally injured pilots with positive toxicology findings by drug type, 1990–2022 (NTSB graphic).
Percent of fatally injured pilots with positive toxicology findings by drug type, 1990 to 2022 © NTSB graphic

A new NTSB safety research report reveals that 28.6% of pilots killed in aircraft crashes between 2018 and 2022 tested positive for potentially impairing drugs, and 52.8% tested positive for at least one drug of any type, continuing an upward trend. However, drug presence identified through toxicology testing does not necessarily indicate pilot impairment, the report emphasizes. The report adds to similar earlier NTSB studies between 1990 and 2012, and 2013 and 2017.

Among drug categories identified in toxicology reports, the most commonly detected included cardiovascular medications, sedating antihistamines, non-sedating over-the-counter drugs, cholesterol-lowering medications, prostate or erectile dysfunction drugs, and illicit drugs. Overall, 27.7% of pilots killed in aircraft accidents tested positive for two or more drugs.