When fatigue meets pressure, judgment becomes the real battleground
- krdroneworks
- 2 days ago
- 10 min read
By: Colonel (ret) Bernie Derbach, KR Droneworks, 07 Jan 26
This blog post explores the critical intersection of human physiology and aviation safety within the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) sector. It integrates safety philosophies with specific regulatory requirements from Transport Canada.When fatigue meets pressure, judgment becomes the real battleground.
NOTE: KR Droneworks has prepared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that integrates the the core philosophy of this Blog , the technical requirements of Transport Canada, and practical field tools into a single, cohesive framework. It is FREE - to receive a copy, email: kr.droneworks@gmail.com
In the world of aviation, we’ve often been too interested in who to blame when something goes wrong.
We should be far more interested in why it happened. When we see a drone drift into restricted airspace or a pilot miss a critical battery warning, it’s easy to label it as “pilot error” and move on. But that explanation is usually the most comfortable—not the most honest.
A professional drone pilot doesn't suddenly lose skill overnight. If someone who has flown safely for years ends up making a critical mistake, something meaningful has already shifted in the background.
In the context of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), the "cockpit" might be a laptop in a field or a control station in an office, but the human brain operating it remains the same biological system—one that is highly susceptible to the cumulative effects of fatigue and environmental pressure.
The Context: A Narrowing Field of Vision
Imagine the context for a commercial drone pilot today. You are on your tenth flight of the day. The sun is setting, narrowing your visual line-of-sight (VLOS). The client is standing five feet behind you, checking their watch because they need the footage for a 6:00 PM news cycle. Your tablet is flashing a low-temperature warning for the batteries, and the wind is gusting right at the limit of your airframe’s capability.
At this point, a decision to "push through" and get the last shot isn't made in a vacuum. It’s made under cumulative stress, fatigue, and time pressure—the kind that slowly narrows options rather than loudly announcing danger.
According to Transport Canada, fatigue is a physiological state of reduced mental or physical performance capability resulting from sleep loss, extended wakefulness, or physical activity. For a drone pilot, this doesn't just mean "feeling tired." It means a measurable decline in situational awareness, slower reaction times, and, most dangerously, a degradation in Pilot Decision Making (PDM).
The Physiology of Fatigue: Why Drone Pilots are Vulnerable
While traditional pilots face the physical strain of being in the air, drone pilots face a unique set of Human Factors often overlooked. Transport Canada’s TP 15263E (Knowledge Requirements for Pilots of RPAS) emphasizes that human performance is the foundation of flight safety.
Fatigue affects the brain’s executive functions—the part of you that says, "Wait, this isn't safe." In a fatigued state, the brain seeks the path of least resistance. You might skip a pre-flight checklist because you "just did it 20 minutes ago." You might ignore a minor telemetry glitch because your brain is too exhausted to process the potential Undesired Aircraft State (UAS) it represents.
Acute vs. Chronic Fatigue
Transport Canada distinguishes between two types:
Acute Fatigue: Short-term and caused by intense mental or physical activity. This often happens during complex missions, such as infrastructure inspection, requiring high levels of concentration for hours.
Chronic Fatigue: The long-term accumulation of sleep debt. If you are a commercial operator working back-to-back contracts with long commutes, you may be operating in a state of permanent impairment without realizing it.
The "Dirty Dozen" in Drone Operations
In aviation safety, we refer to the "Dirty Dozen"—twelve human factors that lead to errors. For drone pilots, these are the primary catalysts for "pilot error":
The "Dirty Dozen" of RPAS Operations
Fatigue: The lead culprit. It is a physiological state that reduces mental and physical capability, making every other factor on this list more dangerous.
Pressure: The real or perceived urgency to "get the job done." This often comes from clients, supervisors, or the pilot’s own desire to finish a mission before weather shifts.
Stress: The mental and physical strain caused by dealing with equipment glitches, difficult terrain, or high-stakes environments.
Complacency: The "it won't happen to me" mindset. It occurs when a pilot has flown 100 successful missions and begins to skip the 101st pre-flight check.
Lack of Communication: Misunderstandings or failures to relay critical information between the Pilot-in-Command (PIC) and the Visual Observer (VO) or air traffic control.
Distraction: Anything that draws the pilot’s attention away from the primary task—be it a phone notification, a curious bystander, or a minor telemetry alert.
Lack of Knowledge: Operating a drone without a full understanding of its specific flight characteristics, software updates, or the current Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs).
Lack of Teamwork: A breakdown in the working relationship between crew members. If the VO doesn't feel empowered to speak up about a hazard, the safety net fails.
Lack of Resources: Attempting a mission without the necessary tools, such as enough batteries, correct landing gear for the terrain, or updated firmware.
Lack of Assertiveness: Failing to speak up when a situation feels unsafe. This is common when a junior pilot feels they cannot challenge a senior supervisor or a demanding client.
Norms: "The way we’ve always done it." Following informal rules or shortcuts that deviate from established safety procedures and checklists.
Lack of Awareness: Failing to maintain a clear mental picture of the drone’s position, battery life, and the surrounding airspace (Situational Awareness).When fatigue is present, your ability to resist these other factors vanishes. A fatigued pilot is a complacent pilot. A fatigued pilot is an easily pressured pilot.
To master safety in RPAS (drone) operations, you must be able to recognize the Dirty Dozen not as a list of definitions, but as a set of active threats to your flight.
The following guide provides a framework for assessing your vulnerability to these factors and strategies to avoid them, aligned with Transport Canada safety standards.
Assessing and Avoiding the "Dirty Dozen"
Factor | How to Assess (The Warning Signs) | How to Avoid (The Countermeasures) |
1. Lack of Communication | Do I find myself saying "I thought you meant..."? Are instructions vague or unwritten? | Confirm verbal orders by repeating them back. Use standardized checklists and written mission briefings. |
2. Complacency | Am I "visualizing" a successful landing before it happens? Have I stopped looking for potential hazards? | Expect the unexpected. Force yourself to find one new "threat" on every flight. Never skip a checklist step. |
3. Lack of Knowledge | Am I unsure of what a specific tablet warning means? Am I "guessing" the current flight mode? | Ask when in doubt. Keep digital manuals on your phone for quick reference. Never operate new equipment without a test flight. |
4. Distraction | Am I looking at my phone? Are bystanders talking to me? Am I thinking about a task I haven't finished yet? | Establish a "Stereo-Clean" environment. Tell bystanders you cannot talk during flight. Finish one task before starting the next. |
5. Lack of Teamwork | Is the Visual Observer (VO) silent? Is there tension between crew members? | Pre-flight briefing. Define roles clearly. Foster an environment where the "lowest-ranking" person feels safe to say "STOP." |
6. Fatigue | Am I yawning or rubbing my eyes? Am I forgetting small steps? Is my reaction time feeling "sluggish"? | Prioritize restorative sleep. If you are fatigued, do not fly. Use a second person to double-check your work if you feel drained. |
7. Lack of Resources | Am I using a battery with a slightly swollen case? Am I flying with a cracked tablet screen? | Plan ahead. Maintain an inventory of spare parts. Stop the mission if you don't have the correct tool or data for the job. |
8. Pressure | Is the client checking their watch? Am I worried about losing the light? Am I rushing to meet a deadline? | Set boundaries. Communicate realistic timelines to clients before the job starts. Remember: "Better a late shot than a lost drone." |
9. Lack of Assertiveness | Am I keeping a concern to myself to avoid "making a scene"? Am I doing something I know is risky? | Speak up. Use clear, objective language: "I am uncomfortable with this wind gust." Focus on safety, not personalities. |
10. Stress | Is my heart racing? Am I feeling irritable or overwhelmed by the mission complexity? | Pause. Take a 2-minute "tactical breather." If the stress is chronic (personal/financial), consider if you are fit for duty today. |
11. Lack of Awareness | Have I lost track of where my drone is in relation to obstacles? Am I unaware of the remaining battery life? | Scan, don't stare. Look away from the screen every few seconds to check the sky (VLOS). Verbalize battery levels out loud. |
12. Norms | Am I hearing "We always do it this way"? Am I following unwritten rules that contradict the manual? | Follow the SOP. Challenge "shortcuts." Just because an unsafe practice hasn't caused a crash yet doesn't make it safe. |
The "Swiss Cheese" Defense
Aviation safety expert James Reason proposed the Swiss Cheese Model. Imagine each of your safety checks (checklists, VOs, training) as a slice of cheese. Each slice has holes (the Dirty Dozen). An accident only happens when the holes in every slice line up perfectly.
Your goal is to shift the slices so the holes never align.
Professional Summary
By using the I'M SAFE checklist for self-assessment and applying the countermeasures above, you move from being a "drone operator" to an Aviation Professional.
The "I'M SAFE" Checklist for RPAS Pilots
To combat the battleground of judgment, use this pre-flight self-assessment. If you cannot answer "yes" to the spirit of these categories, you are not fit for flight.
Category | Assessment Question |
I - Illness | Do I have any symptoms or underlying illnesses? |
M - Medication | Am I taking any meds (prescription or OTC) that affect focus? |
S - Stress | Is external pressure (client, financial, personal) clouding my focus? |
A - Alcohol | Am I within the legal limit and free of a "hangover" effect? |
F - Fatigue | Have I had at least 8 hours of restorative sleep? |
E - Emotion | Am I calm, or am I agitated/upset? |
Transport Canada Regulations and Safety Culture
Under CAR 901.19, no person shall operate an RPAS if they are "fatigued or otherwise unfit for duty." However, the regulation is only as strong as the culture behind it. True safety culture doesn’t erase the mistake; it studies the conditions that made the mistake likely.
If the same conditions were repeated, many competent professionals might make the same call. That’s not an excuse. It’s a signal. To prevent the next accident, we must look at the
Preconditions for Unsafe Acts:
Organizational Influences: Is the company scheduling enough recovery time?
Supervision: Are managers encouraging pilots to "call it" when weather turns?
Environment: Are we providing tools to mitigate glare, heat, and cold?
To help your team make objective calls in the field, use the following Go/No-Go Decision Matrix. This tool converts the "Dirty Dozen" and environmental pressures into a numerical score, removing the emotional "battleground" of judgment.
RPAS Mission Risk Assessment Matrix (RAM)
Assign a score to each category based on current conditions.
Risk Category | 0 Points (Low Risk) | 1 Point (Caution) | 2 Points (High Risk) |
Fatigue/Fitness | Well-rested; "I'M SAFE" clear. | < 6 hours sleep; minor stress. | Exhausted; illness; major stress. |
Environmental | Wind < 10kts; clear skies. | Wind 15-20kts; fading light. | Gusts > 25kts; precip; darkness. |
Client/Pressure | Flexible timeline; no pressure. | Fixed deadline; client watching. | "Must finish now"; high stakes. |
Equipment | All systems 100%; full spares. | Minor firmware glitch; low spares. | Battery damage; telemetry issues. |
Complexity | Wide open space; rural area. | Near obstacles; urban fringe. | BVLOS; dense urban; near people. |
Team/Experience | Full crew (PIC+VO); experienced. | Solo PIC; new to this airframe. | No VO; unfamiliar territory. |
Scoring & Action Plan
0 – 3 Points: GREEN (GO)
Proceed with mission. Maintain standard situational awareness and follow all SOPs.
4 – 6 Points: YELLOW (CAUTION)
Mitigation Required. Do not launch until at least one risk factor is reduced (e.g., add a Visual Observer, wait for wind to drop, or renegotiate the timeline with the client).
7+ Points: RED (NO-GO)
Immediate Stand Down. The cumulative effect of these human and environmental factors makes an incident statistically likely. The context has become too dangerous for safe flight.
Implementation Advice
Print and Laminate: Keep a physical copy of this matrix in your drone case.
The "Veto" Rule: If any single category scores a 2, the Pilot-in-Command or Visual Observer has the right to "Veto" the launch regardless of the total score.
Brief the Client: Show the client this matrix before you start work. When they see a professional scoring system, they are less likely to apply "Quiet Pressure" because they see you are following a safety framework.
To help you maintain safety while managing client expectations, here is a professional script. It is designed to shift the conversation from "opinion" to "aviation standards," which usually makes a high-pressure client back down and respect your professionalism.
The "Safety Stand-Down" Script
The Situation: You’ve run the Go/No-Go Matrix and scored a 7 (Red). The client is pushing you to fly anyway.
You: "I understand we have a tight deadline for this footage, and I want to get it for you. However, as the Pilot-in-Command, I’ve just completed my mandatory Risk Assessment Matrix—a standard safety protocol required under Transport Canada guidelines."
The Client: "It doesn't look that bad. Can't you just do one quick flight?"
You: "In aviation, we look at 'Cumulative Risk.' Right now, we have three factors hitting the red zone: the wind gusts are at the airframe limit, we are losing our legal visual line-of-sight due to the light, and—most importantly—human factors are at a peak. After ten hours on-site, my reaction time and judgment are physiologically degraded."
The Closer: "If I fly now, I’m not just risking the equipment; I’m risking a regulatory violation and the safety of everyone on this site. I’m making the call to stand down until [tomorrow morning / the wind drops]. This ensures you get the high-quality, professional results you’re paying for without the liability of a crash."
Why this works:
It uses "Aviation Language": Terms like "Pilot-in-Command," "Risk Assessment Matrix," and "Physiologically Degraded" move you from "guy with a drone" to "Aviation Professional."
It highlights THEIR risk: Mentioning "liability" and "regulatory violations" reminds the client that an accident on their watch is a legal nightmare for them, too.
It offers a solution: You aren't just saying "no"; you are saying "not now, for the sake of quality."
Safety is a Process, Not a Feeling
By using this matrix, you move the decision away from your fatigued brain and onto the paper. It allows you to say to a client: "The data shows our risk score is a 7. For the safety of your project and my license, we must wait for better conditions."
Conclusion: Writing a Better Story
We can continue to write "cleaner reports" that blame individuals for being human, or we can start building systems that account for human limitations. Safety isn't the absence of mistakes; it's the presence of the wisdom to recognize when the context has become too heavy to carry.
References
Transport Canada (CAR 901.19): Condition of RPAS and Fitness of Crew
Transport Canada (TP 12882): The Human Factors Guide
Transport Canada (TP 15263E): Knowledge Requirements for Pilots of RPAS
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