Occurrence of pre-existing disease in aircrew killed in flying accidents.

A review of the occurrence of pre-existing disease found in 809 military, professional, and private aircrew killed in 525 flying accidents in the United Kingdom from 1955 to 1979. In the author's experience, the most common diseases encountered included coronary atherosclerosis, myocarditis, pathology of the liver, psychiatric or adverse medical histories, upper respiratory tract infections, and defective vision. The role of these diseases in accident causation and the need for caution in the interpretation of asymptomatic disease is discussed. The importance of histological examination in death due to trauma and of circumstantial evidence is emphasised.