A remote pilot is conducting a long mapping mission and has been flying for 90 minutes across multiple battery swaps. The pilot notices their response times are slower and they are making small errors on the controller. What is this an example of and what should the pilot do?
Why →
Slower response times and repeated small errors are measurable signs that fatigue is affecting performance. Under § 107.17, no person may act as remote PIC when their physical or mental condition prevents safe operation. Fatigue is explicitly recognized as a physiological factor in the IMSAFE checklist. A 5-minute break does not restore cognitive performance degraded by extended concentration. The correct action is to end the operation.The trap →
Choice A treats fatigue as manageable through a short break. Research on aviation fatigue shows that subjective recovery after a brief rest does not match actual cognitive recovery. Fatigued operators consistently underestimate their own impairment. Choice C introduces a technical explanation for what the pilot has self-identified as errors.SOURCE → 14 CFR § 107.17; PHAK Chapter 2, IMSAFECHECKED APR 22ACS V.D.K1MED