Mayday, Mayday! - Is Heart Rate Variability a Suitable Objective Indicator to Detect Pilot’s Increased Mental Workload in Emergency Situations?

Human performance (HP) is a crucial factor in aviation, especially in high-cognitive-demand situations such as emergencies. This study explores the relationship between mental workload (MWL) and heart rate variability (HRV) in professional pilots, focusing on how these variables are influenced by different flight phases, pilot roles, and the implementation of an intelligent pilot assistance system (IPAS). Using a low-fidelity flight simulator, eight male pilots faced emergency scenarios, and their MWL was evaluated through subjective ratings. HRV was measured using the RMSSD parameter. Contrary to previous findings, this study’s results did not reveal a correlation between MWL and RMSSD. However, RMSSD values showed significant variation across flight phases, with the lowest RMSSD observed during critical decision-making processes in the FORDEC phase, rather than during the emergency phase. These results suggest that while RMSSD may not demonstrate a direct correlation with MWL, it remains a versatile and non-invasive method for monitoring physiological states. Implications for the use of HRV in real-life operations and the assessment of new assistance systems are discussed.