​​​The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is providing the following information to urge the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take action on this safety recommendation. It is derived from previous investigations and reports of aircraft accidents in which undetected carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning led to pilot impairment and subsequent fatal or serious injuries due to crashes.1 In each of these accidents, the pilot was not alerted to CO entering the cabin in enough time to counteract the effects of CO poisoning. The NTSB is issuing one safety recommendation to the FAA and one recommendation to pilot industry groups.​​

​​Use of a functional carbon monoxide (CO) detector to alert a pilot through visual and auditory means to the presence of CO before the pilot’s judgment is impaired is necessary to the continued safe operation of the aircraft.

Carbon monoxide (CO) detectors that do not meet an aviation-specific minimum performance standard with active aural or visual alerting may not ensure the timely detection of CO by pilots.

While Federal Aviation Administration action is pending, pilot industry groups can quickly and effectively disseminate information to their members and encourage operators to make safety changes to reduce the risks of CO poisoning in flight.

​We made recommendations to the the Federal Aviation Administration​ and to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and Experimental Aircraft Association​​.