Federal officials say they’ve ruled out requiring psychological testing for airline pilots, despite an air crash past year in which a German pilot deliberately flew an airliner full of passengers into a mountainside. That step was recommended for new pilots in Europe after the March 2015 incident, in which a Germanwings plane crashed into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board.
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The FAA has ruled out requiring psychological testing for airline pilots in favor of enhanced mental health support programs in response to a crash previous year in which a German pilot deliberately flew an airliner full of passengers into a mountainside, Huerta said June 9, 2016.
The U.S. decisions follow recommendations by a government-industry task force convened in May 2015.
FAA officials said they discarded an idea to institute regular psychological testing of airline pilots because they found “no convincing data” it was successful, in part because such an exam is only valuable if it coincides with a period in which the pilot is troubled. Several airlines already have reporting and monitoring programs that provide a path for pilots to report psychological conditions, get treated and return to work once the FAA determines – after a thorough evaluation – it is safe to do so. Requirements also vary widely from state to state, he said.
Andreas Lubitz, a co-pilot at Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s subsidiary Germanwings, consulted a number of doctors as he wrestled with symptoms of a “psychotic depressive episode” that started in December 2014 and may have lasted until the March 24, 2015 crash, according to France’s BEA air accident investigation agency.
There’s no specific psychological screening for U.S. pilots, though they must answer a questionnaire that includes mental-health issues and they have to disclose drugs they are taking, including medications for depression.
In January, the FAA began enhanced training for Aviation Medical Examiners so they can increase their knowledge on mental health and enhance their ability to identify warning signs. “While some conditions automatically disqualify someone from flying, many pilots have treatable conditions”. Earlier this year, the agency urged regulators to re-examine how pilot health is monitored and assessed. Doctors in Germany aren’t allowed to reveal such information to an employer and Lubitz never disclosed it. In 2012, the captain of a JetBlue flight was locked out the cockpit by the first officer and subdued by passengers after he started acting erratically.
Better screening would still have value because too many airline pilots suffer from depression, anxiety or substance abuse issues that can threaten safety, Scarpa said. Such programs will now be required under FAA safety oversight.
The FAA will issue guidance to airlines to promote best practices about pilot support programs for mental health issues.
“What we’re trying to do is create an environment where people are self-reporting and looking out for each other”, he said.
There have been seven intentional fatal airline crashes linked to mental health since 1982, according to investigators.
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Cases of pilot suicide are extremely rare. If a pilot needs to use the restroom, a flight attendant or another pilot must stay in the cockpit during the break. After September 11, rules were put in place requiring two people to remain in the cockpit at all times.
