Pilot Mental Illness: Relevant Topic or Overreaction?
1.
What are the specific details of the Germanwings
accident?
On March 24, 2015 an Airbus A320-211, registered D-AIPX that
was operated by Germanwings crashed while flying over the French Alps. According
to my research from (Final, 2016, March 13), after reaching cruising altitude
of 38,000 feet, the captain left the cockpit and the Co-pilot took over radio
communications. Quickly after this the
heading started to decrease but stabilized. The co-pilot moved from his seat
and shut the cockpit door. The altitude on the FCU changed from 38,000 to 100
feet and the airplane started to decrease. The captain and the flight crew tried
to communicate with the copilot several times will no response. The ATC also
tried to contact the flight crew several times with no answer. The aircraft
showed no signs of recovering and upon impact the Co-pilot died taking the
Captain, 4 cabin crew members and 144 passengers with him.
The pilot’s metal illness was documented and it was
disturbing. It was documented that the co-pilot suffered from a mental disorder
with psychotic symptoms. The co-pilot had several doctors treating him and made
me question if this was normal to have multiple doctors or was this a sign of
mental instability and paranoia? One of his doctors advised the co-pilot to
seek treatment at a psychiatric hospital only two weeks before the crash. He
was prescribed medications like Mirtazapine to treat psychosomatic disorder. Not
only was he put on medication, he was put on sick leave by several of his
doctors.
I did not see any reports of the co-pilot having any other
issues that were a result of his mental condition.
2.
In addition to the Germanwings accident, find
and discuss another incident/accident where the pilots mental condition was a
contributing factor.
The incident that I found that relates to mental health, was
on January 28, 2008. A B767 operated by Air Canada was on a scheduled passenger
flight from Toronto(Pearson) to London (Heathrow). The Commander made a PAN call and requested a
diversion to Shannon Airport due to a medical emergency. The First Officer’s behavior
became belligerent and uncooperative. The Commander was convinced that he was
dealing with a crewmember who was effectively incapacitated. The aircraft
landed safely at Shannon. Medical assistance was waiting. The quick decision
that the Commander made probably saved the lives on that plane.
3.
How is mental health currently
screened for and addressed amongst the pilot population? Do you feel that this
method is sufficient or that there is need for reform? If you feel that there
is need for reform, what specific processes would address pilot mental health
more efficiently?
According to my
research from (Pasztor, A. 2015, May 27), In the United States, pilots
routinely have medical screening by FAA approved examiners once or twice a
year, depending on their age. Other
efforts to determine mental health rest on the self-reporting from the pilots
themselves. It is an industry practice to report problems such as depression,
drug or alcohol abuse and changes in medication. This has been the normal
practice for decades. The FAA did make a decision that allows aviators to keep
flying while on certain antidepressant drugs. Also, the FAA does not require
psychological checks. The FAA-approved doctors order testing only if they think
a pilot needs it. There is screening that also takes place through the hiring
process of the pilot’s employer. The pilots will go through a series of
physical, psychological and intelligence testing. Carrier pilot corporations
also have a system of self-policing, to be aware of death, divorce, alcoholism,
and financial problems.
I do feel that some type of reform should be made on the
oversight of already documented pilots with mental health issues. After reading
the report for the Germanwings crash it clearly shows that the multiple doctors
that were seeing the co-pilot had enough concern to take action and should have
contacted someone with the authority to pull the co-pilot off the flights until
reevaluation could be conducted. If the physicians would have sent the
documentation for the co-pilot to go on sick leave, that action could have
saved the lives of 149 people.
4.
Expanding on (3) look at the issue from
the FAA and airline perspective. What may be some challenges for the FAA and
airlines if a more liberal approach was implemented in regard to mental illness
acceptability and treatment?
One large challenge that the FAA will face is the pushback
from unions, carriers and organizations such as the International Federation of
Air Line Pilots’ Association and the Airline Pilots Association for North
America. From my reading at (Pasztor, A. 2015, May 27) these organizations are afraid
that if the FAA were to mandate tougher screening requirements, this may end up
being counterproductive, making pilots more prone to hiding mental-health
problems from managers. I am sure that the economic cost to implement new
screening requirements would be exponential. But, on the other hand, leaving mental health
regulation up to the person with the mental health issue, does not sound very
promising or safe. It is evident from the Germanwings crash that the pilot with
the mental illness was not capable to self-identify that he was having an
episode of mental illness and was not capable to seek help at the moment that
was most important. The airlines could start with a process that is not as
intrusive like never allowing a single pilot to be in the cockpit alone as a precaution
to a plot that a pilot with mental health issues, may be planning. At the end of the day, the safety of the flight should come first.
Final Investigation Report Released into Germanwings Flight 4U9525 Pilot Suicide Accident. (2016, March 13). Retrieved January 25, 2018, from http://news.aviation-safety.net/2016/-3/13/final-investigation-report-released-into-germanwings-flight-4u9525-pilot-suicide-accident/
Bureau d’Enqueles et d’Analyses
Currently, Any Airline company, under our FAA regulations , must have at least 2 people in the cockpit at all times. If a pilot has to step out to use the bathroom, a flight attendant must step and remain until they return.
ReplyDeleteAlso, most people who know they have a mental illness, and are currently flying, would rather not tell anyone than loose their medical and be grounded for any amount of time. So leaving up to the individual to self disclose this information is risky
In your first paragraph you mentioned that the pilot was put on sick leave. From my own research, I discovered that some of the co-pilot's sick notices were found in his home through the post-accident investigation. Although his doctor(s) determined he was not fit to fly, he concealed this information from his company and showed up to work anyway. I can only wonder what motivated him to show up to work that day. I agree with you that it not very safe to leave disclosure of mental health up to the affected people. An airline mental health screening program might be a good idea, so that the psychologist is able to report findings to the airline and provide transparency. Thanks for the interesting post this week.
ReplyDeleteUsually I know about almost every accident, at least vaguely, but have not heard about this Air Canada event. Possibly because it didn't result in an accident (I study accidents mostly), but it is a good example of pilot mental illness. In this case, the outcome was good however, when mental illness of a crewmember is in play, the outcome is typically far worse.
ReplyDeleteI see the argument of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Association and the Airline Pilots Association for North America as invalid. If requirements were stricter, then why would it cause pilots to self-report less? They would be evaluated and if a medical professional deemed them unfit to fly, they could report it to the company. Doctors have a good idea of when they are being lied to about a medical condition so it wouldn't be hard for them to either say something to the company or let the company know that he/she is recommending a psych evaluation based on his/her patient's health history. If it remained how it is currently, where doctors are obligated to keep the medical conditions (I'm talking mental health) hidden from the patient's airline, the patient may self-report more to the doctor, but that doctor must then keep it a secret, whether the patient gets treatment or not. I think a good compromise is if doctors were to have to report a mental health condition only if the patient didn't follow their orders or take the medication they are recommending. As long as the patient is under the care and medical treatment of the doctor with routine visits, reporting to the employer would not be required.