Light Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 5.0
Human-Machine Interface; Physiological - Other; Troubleshooting; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; General Physical Injury / Incapacitation
Aircraft; Company Policy
Aircraft X [became a priority] due to the onset of hypoxia symptoms. Aircraft X requested to divert and landed without further incident. ARTCC Operations Manager in Charge (OMIC) requested through TRACON to have Aircraft X contact the Watch Desk for further information. Aircraft X contacted the Watch Desk and advised there were 2 pilots with one serving as the instructor and the other serving as the student. Aircraft X also advised both of them were experiencing the onset of hypoxia symptoms; instructor had cold tingling in fingers and student felt air hunger requiring them to activate their emergency oxygen system which would provide them with up to approximately 9-10 minutes of oxygen. Upon the activation of their emergency oxygen system both pilots noticed an improvement with regards to their hypoxia. Lastly; Aircraft X advised the [the military] is experiencing on a national level at least one hypoxia event per week in the trainer aircraft ranging from aircraft in the upper flight levels to aircraft in the tower pattern and as low as 600 feet AGL.Aircraft X advised the [military] is gathering data and providing hypoxia recognition training to their pilots. My concern upon hearing this information is how can you effectively train and actually count on a pilot to actually recognize they are hypoxic and choose a proper course of action when hypoxia adversely impacts reasoning and processing? This issue appears to be systemic across the country according to the instructor of Aircraft X. The nature of this aircraft's mission is a trainer aircraft so there are younger and more inexperienced pilots flying these aircraft and being subjected to this potentially life threatening situation. Can they handle it as adeptly as a more experienced pilot?
An ARTCC Operations Manager reported an aircraft crew detected the onset of hypoxia and landed safely.