#191 AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS medication usage a factor in 10 to 13 percent
22 Nov 2025 · 6 min
Kenny Keller reports that over-the-counter medications were a factor in 10 to 13 percent of fatal helicopter accidents in 2019. He warns pilots to check with an FAA medical examiner before flying on any medication, and describes the pressure to fly sick despite training guidance against it.
Questions this episode answers
10 to 13 percent
US Helicopter Safety Team
2019 (fatal accidents through that year)
Episode #191, created by Kenny Keller
KK25OFF
Chapters
Over the counter medication usage by pilots remain a factor in 10 to 13% of aircraft accidents. That's pretty big if you think about it. Welcome to day 191 Coffee with Kenny. Making this one kind of quick. I'm doing some flight planning today for a trip to Ohio. So most of these topics I'm really super passionate about and this one, I'm one of those people that really don't take medication very often. I need to find some wood to knock on because I'm just a lucky individual that doesn't get sick very often. And I don't even like taking stuff for headache. I mean, I will if it's really bad and if I go to the doctor and I'm really sick and they he prescribes me something, I'll take it. It's not like it's a religious thing. I'm not like that. You know, in our society, people are very quick to, you know, take a pill for everything. So that's just not me. So I really haven't dealt too much with this problem in my 20 years of flying just because I'm not big on taking medications. And if I'm taking something, it's because I'm freaking sick. And if I'm not sick that I'm taking medication, I'm not flying. So I don't put myself in that position. Some of you this will be a little tougher for because even though we have the I am safe checklist and we have all these things we talk about when you're trying, when you have a job and you're paying the bills, of course your company says, oh, if you're sick, stay home. But then when you try to call in, oh, we're short pilots and you sure you can't make it? So, you know, it's kind of there's the training world and what we say and then there's the real world, right? It's kind of like back in the day of being a police officer and the chief's like, well, you need to be on your deathbed. If you call in sick for work, sad to say, right? In an ems, you knew that too. Because most of the time you're short bases. So if you call in sick, there's nobody to call in come to come in and cover you. So the base goes out of service. So then you're feeling guilty about it and even though they'll tell you, oh, stay home if you're sick, oh, well, you sure you can't make it in? You know, so that is the age old problem of flying and having a job and working for somebody else, Right. I'm very lucky at this point that I fly when I want to. I'm not answering anybody. So for me it's different. Again, if I'm sick, I'm not gonna fly. So that's number three of the helicopter safety team of the seven things they talked about. And people ask so many questions all the time about medical issues and medication. You just need to reach out to your medical examiner. I mean the guy is there to take your money and do your medical. They also need to be there to support you. When you have a question, you call into your medical examiner and you get the question answered. You just say, hey, I've got this, you know, medications prescribed to me and I need to know if this is something I can fly with or if you're in doubt, you know, don't do it. So quick video again. This isn't one that I'm super passionate about just because I'm lucky. I'm lucky guy. Man, should I knock on wood again. I'm just so lucky. I never get sick. I'm gonna jinx myself. Dang it. Hope not. So for those of you that are taking medications, make sure you reach out to your designated, your designated, I want to say designated examiner, your FAA medical examiner and pose that question and find out. That's all I can really tell you on that one. So keep that in mind. 10 to 13% is a pretty big one. I mean that's huge. So just remember, this is from the US Helicopter Safety Team. This is in response to the 2019 accidents we've had so far through this year. And we're talking fatal accidents, right? It's up to us to be informed. It's up to us to be knowledgeable. It's up to us to do the right thing. I am Kenny Keller, creator of Helicopter Line Ground School. You go below to check out our courses. Private commercial, CFI and instrument. All those have a 24 hour free test flight on the monthly and yearly options. There's also a 30 day money back guarantee. Then we have the big professional pilot package. Private commercial CFI instrument altogether never expires. Phil and Frisky again. Today I'm going to throw out the code KK25OFF. If you want to get 25% off that big professional pilot package. And that's great for those of you that are working through your, all the ratings and whether it takes you six months, we've seen guys do it might take you four years. Like it took me, it might take you longer. Each one of those memberships will be there as you go through the training. And the cool thing is Private's private commercial membership includes private, cfi, includes private, includes commercial, and then includes cfi. And then our instrument course generally is a standalone course. This is the only place where you'll get the instrument, of course, along with the other three. All four of those courses combined into one package is our professional pilot membership. So use the code KK25OFF. Saves you a nice little chunk of money off that package. Subscribe the channel, click the little bell when you do to be notified of our daily video. I got to get in and get some flight plan going, so please give us a thumbs up. Leave your comments down below and we'll see you tomorrow. I think tomorrow. Scud running. This is a, this will be a good topic, right? We've all, most of us have all done it. I've done it. And Stop the Scud running. Mm. A lot of you are doing it and that's why a lot of helicopters are crashing. People are dying. It's probably more weather related than it is absolutely anything else. So tomorrow we'll do Stop the Scud Running. All right, See you in day 192. Peace out.
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