Pilot Mental Health—The Thoughtful, Well-Reasoned FAA ARC Recommendations

[JDA Aviation]

FAA’s “thinking before jumping” resulted in a list of recommendations which will minimize the risk of pilot mental health issues in future flights.

Like many, if not most, aviation tragedies, there is an immediate and overwrought response to the reported horrific “facts.” The Germanwings suicide flight is a quintessential example of that phenomenon. The prescriptions propounded by the “experts,” at that time, are now proof why taking the time to analyze the facts is the better course of action.

The FAA recognized that the expertise to design a continuous program for pilot mental health should involve a team of people with greater insight into and experience with this complex issue. The Administrator chartered an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) comprised of aviation and medical experts (see Appendix A of the ARC Report).

http://jdasolutions.aero/blog/pilot-mental-health-faa-arc/

[Evan]

FAA’s “thinking before jumping” resulted in a list of recommendations which will minimize the risk of pilot mental health issues in future flights.

Like many, if not most, aviation tragedies, there is an immediate and overwrought response to the reported horrific “facts.” The Germanwings suicide flight is a quintessential example of that phenomenon. The prescriptions propounded by the “experts,” at that time, are now proof why taking the time to analyze the facts is the better course of action.

The FAA recognized that the expertise to design a continuous program for pilot mental health should involve a team of people with greater insight into and experience with this complex issue. The Administrator chartered an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) comprised of aviation and medical experts (see Appendix A of the ARC Report).


http://jdasolutions.aero/blog/pilot-...ealth-faa-arc/

That in itself is naive. A pilot who self-reports a moderate mental health issue is effectively grounding himself if not losing his license entirely, especially in the wake of outrage surrounding the Germanwings incident. Airlines and CAA's are going to take very few chances on pilot mental health. The only reasonable solution is greater, unihibited access to pilot medical records and determined vigilance. Pilots also need to accept this invasion of privacy as a necessary step. Fortunately, this remains a very rare cause of air disasters but it seems to me that the problem of mental health in general is increasing as societies become increasingly stressful and who knows, maybe it will turn out that mobile phones are making us all nuts.

[Gabriel]

That in itself is naive. A pilot who self-reports a moderate mental health issue is effectively grounding himself if not losing his license entirely, especially in the wake of outrage surrounding the Germanwings incident. Airlines and CAA's are going to take very few chances on pilot mental health. The only reasonable solution is greater, unihibited access to pilot medical records and ...

... then the pilots are stopping to visit the doctor all together, making the problem even worse because not only that the airlines and CAAs will not now of the mental condition of the pilots, but now the pilots will not even receive treatment.

[Evan]

... then the pilots are stopping to visit the doctor all together, making the problem even worse because not only that the airlines and CAAs will not now of the mental condition of the pilots, but now the pilots will not even receive treatment.

...determined vigilance.

That was an important part of the sentence that you clipped off.

But ok, if not this, then what?

[EconomyClass]

Kinda sad from a passenger's point of view that "I'll ground myself" is the most important thought in the mind of the pilot. Probably realistic for a human being, but it just reinforces the image of airline flight as a "casino in the sky". Your chances of winning are fantastic, but there's no "do over" if you lose.

[TeeVee]

know what is the worst part of this? how our society has changed. how humanity has changed. in all of recorded history prior to say the last 15 years, how many mass murdercides have there been? now all of the sudden depressed or otherwise mentally ill people feel the need to take out 50, 100, 200, 300 people with them in their quest for who the F knows what....

[Gabriel]

Let's face it. A mad person can kill YOU anywhere and at anytime for no particular reason.
Very very seldom, that mad person can be a pilot.

Now, chances are that, even if you knew by divine revelation that you are going to die in the murderer hands of a mad parson, that most likely by large will not be in a plane.