Public comments from pilots, mental health specialists, and others in aviation regarding the recent attempt to sabotage an Alaska Airlines flight over Oregon. (Alphabetical by author.)
KPTV Fox 12 Oregon
Whistleblower Tells FAA Another Alaska Airlines Pilot Flying on Mushrooms
Flight instructor blows the whistle on FAA’s handling of pilot complaints (youtube.com)
Anil Adisesh
Chief Medical Officer
The airline industry has replaced security of employment with self-employed contractor status for many pilots. The contracting model was identified as a significant stressor for pilots in an MSc thesis I had the pleasure of supervising, written by a pilot and physician. This employment model has implications for sick leave, the work schedules, etc. Like physicians in N. America who are also self employed, declaring a health problem may jeopardize employment without job security. Is the access to corporate occupational health the same for such pilots?
12.6% of pilots met the threshold for Clinical Depression over a 2-week period.
Paul Cullen
Captain Ross ‘Rusty’ Aimer
CEO, Aero Consulting Experts
After so many destroyed careers and sometimes lives, we have a pretty good handle on drugs and alcohol addiction among major airline pilots. Unfortunately that is not the case with mental health issues. If you are “crazy” enough to mention anything about this taboo subject, your career is over! We need to do better.
Alessandra Airaldi
Cabin Manager
The plight of pilots grappling with common human challenges and the fear of career repercussions for disclosing health concerns lays bare systemic issues. The aviation industry, often citing safety as its primary focus, seems to sideline occupational health and safety as if it were a mere afterthought. The root of this discrepancy is quite simple: the scope, supervising authorities, and legislative frameworks differ substantially. The choice to prioritize passenger safety over that of aviation workers leaves us with a perplexing paradox.
EATS 2023: Journey into Pilot Mental Health
Owen Sims, Solent University
CEO, Wyvern
IBAPA members have many benefits to include free confidential counseling to help manage stress and other psychosocial challenges. The membership fee is peanuts compared to the incredible list of meaningful benefits. Although created for pilots, you don’t have to be a pilot to join.
Expert in Organizational Behaviour Change
People captured between the necessities of making a living and risking losing their jobs if they speak up or disclose they have difficulty coping do what they believe is right for them at that time. The fear of being fired, of being judged a failure, take precedence over what rules require to be done. With hindsight (bias) and without context it is judged as wrong and delivers a career-ending outcome. Of course such ill-judged actions can and do also deliver catastrophic consequences to others. This is not new. Yet OHS systems and professionals persist with outdated approaches.
Mental health is still the most ignored problem in our industry.
Kim Verbraeken, FRAeS
Niall Breslin
Academic
A pragmatic answer is hard to get across on a social media platform. A great essay to read on this subject is “The privitisation of stress” by Mark Fisher. Essentially, telling people it’s entirely up to them to deal with their stress and it has nothing to do with the chaos we are enduring from pandemic, wars, cost of living crisis, etc is humanely and intellectually dishonest.
“Resilience programmes” often attempt to normalise what is not normal. For me, there are work places that are taking this into consideration and doing great work and there are organisations that think resilience training means they can push their teams to unrelenting levels of demand.
Billy Bowers
Aviation Operations & Safety Professional
This midair incident didn’t just happen out of the blue. It happened after 6 years of this pilot believing he couldn’t seek the healthcare he needed because it would force him to choose between health and his career. In a world where pilots and air traffic controllers must have medical certification from the FAA for their job duties, there’s virtually no path to recertification for mental health issues, meaning that seeking help is often career ending.
Make no mistake: This is a direct result of what happens when the FAA continues to neglect aerospace medical mental health reform that is long overdue. This tragic and frightening event proves this is both a public safety AND a public health crisis. This is unacceptable.
Paul C
L-AME
The Canadian regulator (Transport Canada) has strict controls in place for preventing people with serious medical conditions such as ADHD and others which require the use of anti-depressants / mood altering drugs to not be allowed to hold a valid pilot’s license. Similarly, TC has restrictions in place related to English language proficiency for pilots.
However none of these restrictions / controls are stipulated for persons performing aircraft maintenance or persons certifying aircraft maintenance as AME License holders. This is not just a Canadian safety gap which impacts aviation maintenance personnel – it is repeated around the world by many States which also have similarly weak controls, or no controls at all. Some of the more pro-active Air Operators / AMOs have embodied controls for their maintenance personnel similar to those mandated for pilots, but without a compulsory international regulatory standard for AMTs & AMEs it becomes a house of cards with all other operators / AMOs.
Mónica Gómez Caniella
ULAPA President
We must continue to fight the scourge of stigma. It’s not about treating this pilot as crazy and that’s it. If we were to do a root cause analysis to understand his behavior, we could find out a lot of interesting things.
A Cry for Help
Karlene Petitt, Flight to Success
Paul Cullen
Human Factors Researcher
Recent studies have reported that pilots are suffering with the same mental health issues as the general population, and perhaps to an even greater extent. Here are a few figures from some of these studies to consider.
o 12.6% of pilots met the threshold for Clinical Depression over a 2-week period.
o 4.1% of pilots had Suicidal Thoughts over the same period.
o 40% of pilots experienced High Burnout.
These peer-reviewed scientific studies stopped short of trying to understand or identify the causal factors behind these alarming statistics.
I firmly believe 1,000’s of pilots across the world are struggling with issues that are common among humans. The big difference is most people don’t risk having their salaries cut (or withdrawn completely) if they disclose health issues. Most people don’t fear the short- & long-term career implications. This results in a situation where many pilots will not disclose health issues to their employer or their doctor. Instead, they avoid diagnosis and in some cases self-diagnose and self-prescribe.
Numerous studies, including research by the Lived Experience Wellbeing Project, have shown that the aviation industry is breaking people, and the supports being offered are totally inadequate. This needs to change.
When the ‘canary in the mine’ became sick, we didn’t offer it another canary to talk to, or offer it lunchtime yoga. Instead we saw it as a sign of an unhealthy workplace. We need to stop just focussing on how to make aviation workers more resilient. We also need to manage psychological hazards that are causing psychological harm to aviation workers, and not just pilots. We need to stop just handing out bullet-proof vests, but also reduce the number and size of the bullets.
The Alaska Airlines incident should be a warning shot to the entire industry. Something is wrong and next time we might not be so lucky. The weak signals are getting stronger and louder, but who is listening?
I will be presenting on this very topic at the Flight Safety Foundation Air Safety Summit in Paris. IASS 2023 | International Aviation Safety Summit – Flight Safety Foundation
Paul Cullen’s IASS presentation: It’s time for airlines to incorporate Psychological Health & Safety into Safety Management Systems
It’s the extreme outliers that are getting most of the attentions, rather than WIPIDS (well-intentioned pilots in distressed states) who perhaps pose the greatest threat. Although the chance of a WIPIDS being involved in an accident is much lower than those at the extremes, the number of WIPIDS greatly outnumbers that of the outliers. Therefore I maintain that it is this group that needs attention.
Distress negatively impacts our performance, and as such needs to be seen as a flight safety hazard.
Jaclyn Denz
UAS Professional
Wow, that incident report is sobering. Agree that physical and mental health should be a top priority for all aircrew members. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to watch some go undiagnosed to avoid potential changes in flight status. Changes in career trajectory can be scary, but if you’re not fit to fly – it’s important to acknowledge that and move forward appropriately. For the well-being of yourself, your crew, and the many passengers that depend on you to get them safely to their destination. It’s okay to come forward and say “I’m not okay.”
The key here is not to rush to judgment.
Reyné O’Shaughnessy
Mark Eastwood
Therapist
Coping strategies are a real challenge. Some are healthy, others have a sinister edge to them and side-effects that are unhealthy, especially in the workplace. Whatever the reason for coping strategies, there will be a root cause and without identifying and treating it there will never be a solution.
At the moment, we are discussing Fatigue Management Therapy with some of our clients. This has come out of the blue in the last few weeks, so obviously on the agenda for many industries where shifts or simply workload issues are causing problems for employees.
Jason Foster
B767 First Officer
The stigma surrounding Mental Health has been an issue in aviation for decades. Until the pertinent aviation authorities decide they really do want to fix the system this trend will continue. While I’m appalled at what this pilot did, I’m also bothered by a system that makes pilots feel they can’t get help without literally losing everything they have worked for. How does that help a person who might need to seek some counseling or outside help.
Sara Hammel
Author /journalist /screenwriter
The amount of excusing and apologizing I am seeing for the pilot who tried to bring down a plane is both outrageous and somewhat unsurprising. A white guy who’s “nice to his neighbors” almost murders 83 people, and everyone’s clamoring to minimize it, like it’s “he’s a good guy who went rogue!” “What about mental health?” I’m sorry? Yes, what about mental health?
I wonder if you or your children had been on that flight if you’d be so sympathetic to this person as a knee-jerk reaction. What if this pilot had been a person of color, a Muslim, or a woman? if you’re honest with yourself, you know the narrative would be rolling out much differently.
David Howell
Author
There is a readily available and pragmatic approach and it involves understanding the current experiences everyone across an organisation is having. A universal platform that brings context and understanding, a baseline from which to work from and monitor. From the cleaner to the CEO.
By understanding the individual we then understand the impact they have on others around them in a constantly fluid environment. A fluid complexity risk matrix.
Bespoke training, interventions, conversations, etc can then be planned and focused on specific areas and individuals / teams saving time and money and no longer throwing darts in the dark.
A huge impact is on mental wellbeing, which this platform is designed to surface and to provide a pathway for individuals to follow away from the dangers.
737 Training
Nothing substantial changed after the catastrophic Germanwings event so I can’t see anything happening after an attempt. Afraid it’s an issue that’s swept under the carpet and lies in the systemic problem of “cheap flights”. This leads to a lack of medical and loss of license insurance for crew (for the airline to provide those reduced prices) who will as a result mask these issues. People now expect their flights to be cheap but are happy to gloss over the effect this will have on safety.
Conrad Ibri
Captain
It’s imperative to raise the debate and open the Mental Health pandora box so we can discuss clearly preventing and active measures and access the root causes of mental disruption. Despite many people assume different, pilots are just normal people with specific skills. As such, subject to all sorts of mental and emotional illness. It might be disappointing to hear that but pilots are no Super Heros.
Austen Jarboe
Aviation Mental Health Advocate
We have a CRISIS in Aviation. Pilots are punished by the system for being open and honest about the status of their mental health. If they seek professional help, their medical certificate is suspended for an average of 18-24 calendar months. Pilots are forced into months of unnecessary and outdated psych evaluations, out of pocket, and with psychiatrists “hand-picked” by the agency. The bureaucratic chaos encourages pilots to hide their mental and emotional pain, refuse to seek treatment, and turn to self-medication. The results can be Catastrophic.
We owe it to every pilot suffering in silence:
1) Reform the FAA’s failed approach to Aviation Mental Health.
2) Build a resilient community of aviators who stand in support of our brothers and sisters in need.
Dace Kavasa
Change Facilitator
I would ask questions that investigators ARE NOT addressing:
1. What were the rosters/patterns in the last year for the pilot?
2. Cross check and eliminate /confirm the following assumptions:
a) Planning & ratio of duty/rest driven for maximum duty/minimum rest
b) Roster stability – likely roster has been constantly changed for operational reasons every day/week/month (check data)
c) Roster instability leads to permanent disruption of private life, leading to isolation, disconnected life
d) Roster type – constant change of biological rhythm. Ask sleep specialists to do assessment.
e) Company culture – there is difficulty in reporting, reports are dismissed finding operational excuses and “its legal” response always present – this leads to decisions not to report, or report only when legally required.
f) Fatigue management not in place, or if in place it is a formal approach, no impact on operational changes. (linked to point e)
g) Business plan-network of operator vs 1:5 minimum ratio of crew – presume lack of personnel & pressure to work to maximum safety limits
h) Specific context of operator network/pilot actual roster flown & events. Presuming additional pressure of summer season, holidays, weather conditions impacting work
Lise Lunding, FRAeS
I don’t believe though that the answer will be very clear-cut: While the operators definitely have a responsibility of creating a culture, work place practices and policies which support the pilots there is also a built-in challenge in the profession itself: A well know stressor is the “intermittent husband (wife) syndrome” (Morrice et al. 1985, Rigg et al. 1994) and even though initially described 35 years ago in the oil industry, it has later been expanded to cover airline pilots’ relationships with their significant others as well.
Coen Meijers
Senior First Officer
Mental health issues are not spoken about in our job, the stigma is massive. Policy makers all around the world have no idea what to do or how to deal with mental health problems. They therefore take the easy and destructive route and revoke pilots’ medicals instead of showing support to highly professional people who are brave enough to say… “I am struggling mentally.”
Many pilots fear seeking mental health help
Los Angeles Times
Reyné O’Shaughnessy
Airline Pilot and B767 Captain
Founder, Piloting 2 Wellbeing
The FAA encourages pilots to seek assistance if they have a mental health condition, emphasizing that most conditions, when treated, do not disqualify a pilot from continuing to fly. However, there’s a significant catch. The fear of self-reporting and the potential impact on one’s livelihood act as substantial barriers.
“Who would want to self-report and endanger their livelihood? Not very many people. The repercussions of self-reporting can be a career-ender for many in the aviation industry.
A critical point to highlight is the considerable time it can take to regain one’s medical certification after reporting a mental health condition. In a case that I’m intimately familiar with, it took this particular pilot 6 years to get to operate a transport airplane.
Additionally, pilots are often viewed as having “the right stuff” to command an aircraft as an integral part of a pilot’s personal identity and psyche. Pilots are renowned for their mission-oriented mindset, but they can be remarkably poor at self-assessment, especially when it comes to their overall identity, whether in the cockpit or outside of it.
This issue underscores the importance of destigmatizing mental health concerns within the aviation community, and it calls for comprehensive support systems to be put in place. The safety and well-being of pilots are paramount, and by addressing these challenges openly and constructively, we can ensure safer skies for all
We’ll need to wait for more information to emerge in the days and months to come. It’s a conversation that we need to be open to and without judgment, as it is the first step in ensuring the wellbeing of pilots and flight attendants, and everyone aboard EVERY flight.
Niven P
BALPA Representative
I find it ironic that some commentators are actually part of the problem and preach personal resilience and compliance-based models of support that provide only that i.e. compliance. This episodic event will soon be co-opted into marketing strategies that fail to address any real problems other than company bank balances.
Although Germanwings brought some change, including the mandatory setup of Peer Support, this is not enough.
Paul Reuter, FRAeS
Paul Salerno
CEO
You realize of course, that we pilots HIDE our mental health issues (even marriage counseling) in order to protect our jobs – so our employers and mental health professionals won’t know a problem exists until we are near the breaking point.
Dmitri Sokov
Captain
Yes, pilot’s job is difficult and stressful sometimes, but believe me, absolutely most of us coping with this stress well enough. I would be glad if we stop escalating and deal on a calm and professional way with actual and isolated issues.
Cesare Ricci
Captain
It is time for a change indeed, both from a regulator point of view and from the perspective of modern medicine. The exposure to ultra long haul flights, continuous night operations, limitless duty hours/sectors “because it is allowed by FTL”, is generating a whole new bunch of dangerous exposure to physiological damages, not to talk about how it affects personal life. I have seen many colleagues affected by continuous fatigue unwilling to report sick because they can lose their job, or the promotion, etc.
It is not a mystery that after the pandemic a double-digit percentage of pilots have stopped flying, although it was their dream job. Someone should have asked why.
Neil Richardson, MRAeS
Director, Verda Consulting
Sadly our safety and wellbeing thoughts are now subservient to legal thoughts. It’s in the hands of a system that isn’t there to be kind, it’s there to prove/disprove the charges brought before the court. The gentleman’s fate already feels like it is not going to go well.
Paul Reuter, FRAeS
Captain, Boeing 737
Professional Affairs Director, ECA
Although Germanwings brought some change, including the mandatory setup of Peer Support, this is not enough. We are quick to forget and 2018/1042 (now 2020/745) is still seen by too many as yet another box-ticking exercise. It is a pity that our great industry seems to be run and overseen mainly by accountants and bureaucrats that have little grasp of the human at the center of our safety system…
What this man needs is help. What he will likely get is jail.
Dai Whittingham
Pilot /Musician
A key comment is that he had not slept in 40 hours. Certainly extreme fatigue and sleeplessness, not uncommon in those who cross multiple time zones and undergo erratic sleep periods in their work, can cause as much or more impairment than substance abuse. As well as being a major cause of clinical depression.
en
Psychologist
The mental well-being of those in the aviation industry must take center stage. Neglecting this aspect, as paramount as flight safety, poses risks to both the staff and the passengers. The inclination of flight crew members to withhold or obscure information about their health conditions is indicative of a significant gap in the system.
We need to do more than merely enhancing the resilience of workers; we must ensure that the working environment is psychologically sound and supportive.
Dr. Jan Smith
Chartered Psychologist
This is an opportunity for the industry to understand why maladaptive coping strategies such as these exist for professionals across the aviation workforce. When blame is portioned to the individual it sends a wider message to aviation professionals ‘the problem lies with me’. We shouldn’t be enforcing individuals to get better skilled to work in a system that’s broken. The system needs to change!
Chief Flight Instructor
Unfortunately our industry witnessed another mental health related incident, fortunately with no further consequences … THIS time.
Mental health is still the most ignored problem in our industry. Why do industry leaders and rule makers believe that, in this world of burnouts /depression /self-medication /substance abuse … aviation staff are immune for these issues? It’s even worse, the pressure exercised upon aviation staff has been significantly increased! So why are we surprised these incidents happen?
Its time to act, all together!
Cadence Joan (Warr)
Mental and Emotional Wellbeing Advocate
(The FAA) stressed the responsibility being on the pilots to do the right thing and self assess and to get help because safety should be their first priority. Now, to that point, I followed up with expressing concern around the complexity of what safety means for pilots and how this type of oversimplification puts unfair and relatively unreasonable expectations on pilots in a multitude of ways. Getting help is still seen as “outing themselves” and doing so is still putting their family’s well-being and their future careers on the line. It’s a really complex issue and having support is important, but you have to empathetically consider who the audience is, what their hurdles are and what their overall bandwidth looks like. This is especially true for peer support programs where you’re putting additional stress and strain on individuals who still have a lack of resources available to help them cope. So you risk doubling down on the risks.
Chief Executive, UK Flight Safety Committee
If, as seems the case, he has had a mental health crisis, what this man needs is help. What he will likely get is jail, the Alaska tariff being 5-99 years, and possibly 83 sentences to run consecutively.
Experimental Test Pilot
I’ve seen this up close and personal. Pilots, cabin crew, maintenance personnel are highly trained and skilled but not immune to life’s stresses. Industry leaders must lift their heads and make this a top priority. Let’s create a better environment and culture in which we can execute our roles with skill… and when we are overcome by life’s stresses, let’s work in a place where we can say, “stop, I need some rest and some help”, without losing the tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, pounds, euros that it costs to get to this amazing industry.
Lisa Wright
One of Australia’s Youngest Female Commercial Pilots
I find it interesting for an industry that prides itself on being leaders in Human Factors that the majority of policy-makers & main aviation authorities work M-F, 9-5 and are not experiencing a pilot’s rostered lifestyle for multiple months whilst also enduring a similar amount of stressors and decision making that the pilots live with on & off the job.
I’d love to see those people who influence policy actually spend 3 months working in their jobs to the same rosters that pilots do, including the same amount of unplanned delays, changes, extended shifts, being called while off duty, doing sim checks in the middle of the night, revisions, checks, tests, etc… before theorising about what is adequate rest and recovery etc for the wellbeing of pilots