Ejection experience in Serbian air force, 1990-2010

Abstract

Background/Aim. Ejection injuries are the problem for air forces. The present risk for injuries is still too high, approximately 30-50%. This study was an effort to determine factors responsible for and contributing to injuries in the Serbian Air Force (SAF) in the last two decades. Methods. All ejection cases in the SAF between 1990 and 2010 were analyzed. The collected data were: aircraft type, ejection seat generation, pilots ? age and experience, causes of ejection, aeronautical parameters, the condition of aircraft control and types of injuries. For ease of comparison the U.S. Air Force Safety Regulation was used to define of major injuries: hospitalization for 5 days or more, loss of consciousness for over 5 min, bone fracture, joint dislocation, injury to any internal organ, any third-degree burn, or second-degree burn over 5% of the body surface area. Results. There were 52 ejections (51 pilots and 1 mechanic) on 44 airplanes. The ejected persons were from 22 to 46 years, average 32 years. Major injuries were present in 25.49% cases. Of all the ejected pilots 9.61% had fractures of thoracic spine, 11.53% fractures of legs, 3.48% fractures of arms. Of all major injuries, fractures of thoracic spine were 38.46%. None of the pilots had experienced ejection previously. Conclusion. Our results suggest to obligatory take preventive measures: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan must be included in the standard pilot selection procedure and procedure after ejection. Physical conditioning of pilots has to be improved. Training on ejection trainer has to be accomplished, too.Uvod/Cilj. Povrede nastale katapultiranjem predstavljaju problem za ratno vazduhoplovstvo. Rizik od nastajanja povreda jos uvek je visok i krece se od 30% do 50%. Ova studija bila je pokusaj da se odrede odgovorni faktori koji doprinose povredama u vazduhoplovstvu (V) i protivvazdusnoj odbrani (PVO) Vojske Srbije u poslednje dve dekade. Metode. Analizirani su svi slucajevi katapultiranja u V i PVO Vojske Srbije u periodu 1990-2010. Prikupljeni podaci odnosili su se na: tip vazduhoplova, generaciju (tip) izbacivog sedista, starost pilota, iskustvo sa katapultiranjem, uzrok katapultiranja, aerodinamicke parametre koji prethode katapultiranju (vazdusna brzina, visina, polozaj vazduhoplova), stanje upravljivosti aviona, vreme iskakanja, tezina povreda (teske telesne povrede - TTP; lake telesne povrede - LTP; bez povreda). Zbog mogucnosti lakseg poredjenja sa drugim zemljama, koriscena je klasifikacija Americkog ratnog vazduhoplovstva za teske telesne povrede koja podrazumeva: bolnicko lecenje preko pet dana, gubitak svesti preko 5 minuta, prelome kostiju, iscasenje zglobova, povrede unutrasnjih organa, sve opekotine III stepena, sve opekotine II stepena koje zahvataju preko 5% povrsine tela. Rezultati. U navedenom periodu bilo je 52 katapultiranja (51 pilot i jedan mehanicar letac), na ukupno 44 aviona. Starost pilota bila je u rasponu od 22 do 46 godina, prosecno 32 godine. Teske telesne povrede bile su zastupljene kod 25,49% pilota. Od svih katapultiranih pilota 9,61% imalo je prelome torakalne kicme, 11,53% prelome nogu, 3,48% prelome ruku. Od svih TTP prelom torakalne kicme bio je zastupljen kod 38,46% katapultiranih pilota. Niko od pilota nije imao prethodno iskustvo sa katapultiranjem. Zakljucak. Nasi rezultati ukazuju da je neophodno sprovodjenje mera prevencije. Magnetna rezonanca mora biti ukljucena u standardnu proceduru selekcije pilota, kao i u proceduru nakon katapultiranja. Potrebno je podici nivo fizicke kondicije. Takodje, potrebno je vrsiti obuku na trenazeru izbacivog sedista.