Relief First Officer Gameel el-Batouti is considered by many to have intentionally crashed an Egyptair flight in October 1999
to the cause, with the Egyptian authorities repeatedly refuting suggestions that it may have been an act of pilot suicide. However, most official reports, including that produced by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), have concluded that the crash occurred as a result of the deliberate actions of the Relief First Officer, Gameel al-Batouti. The cockpit voice recorder shows clear evidence that the Captain left the flight deck to use the toilets and that, shortly thereafter, al-Batouti was heard to be repeatedly saying, “I rely on God” in Arabic. The Captain rushed back to the flight deck and the conversation between the two pilots supports the NTSBs view as to the cause. That said, nobody seems sure why al-Batouti may have been suicidal in the first place.
Following the December 1997 crash of SilkAir flight 185, there was also speculation and controversy over the cause, including suicide/homicide on the part of the pilot, Captain Tsu.
if the pilot is over 40. A psychological assessment is not part of the medical evaluation, but the physician can order testing if necessary. Pilots are responsible for disclosing all existing physical and psychological conditions and may have their certificate revoked if they withhold that information. The FAA grounds pilots who state that they are being treated for depression or request treatment. Pilots must be stable for 12 months before returning to the flight deck. A pilot having treatment for depression has to provide a psychiatrist’s report detailing the diagnosis, treatment and possible side effects of medication. Pilots also have to undergo psychological testing and prepare a written statement describing their use of antidepressants. The FAA can make an exception for pilots taking one of four antidepressants approved by the agency as safe to use for treating mild-to-moderate depression.
Following
the Osbon episode, NBC news prepared a report which stated that 27 out of the US’ 120,000 commercial pilots have taken advantage of the FAA’s anti-depressant policy which was implemented in 2010. The FAA states that depression may make pilots unable to focus.
“…with the increased focus on security threats and fatigue from tighter schedules
...the rôle now takes a greater emotional toll than in previous years…”
This speculation stemmed
from a number of circumstances including a life insurance policy he took out with effect from the day of the crash, recent disciplinary matters and financial problems. However the Singapore Police Force, investigating whether there was any criminal interference in the crash, found no evidence that any of the crew had suicidal tendencies and caused the crash. It would appear extremely rare that a pilot with suicidal intent would also commit mass-murder by taking everyone on board his craft with him/her. Homicide- suicides are more common in families, when one person, often a parent, kills their partner and children before killing themselves. The FAA stipulates that airline pilots have a medical certificate, which must be renewed annually or every six months
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Dr. David Ballard, an expert on mental health policies in the workplace at the American Psychological Association, says requiring employees to disclose mental health disorders can prevent them from seeking treatment in the first place. When addressed, a mental health disorder can be very treatable. “Just because someone has a mental health disorder, that doesn't mean they won’t be able to do their job well", states Ballard.
The International Federation of Airline Pilots Associations (IFALPA) is less rigid than the FAA and considers that psychological evaluation or testing is unacceptable for routine licence renewal/revalidation purposes, though may comprise part of a clinically indicated psychiatric or neurological assessment. However, IFALPA supports flexibility regarding mental disorders of a temporary and/or treatable nature. Any medical history taken into account should be supported by a current clinical diagnosis. Their official position paper states that a pilot may voluntarily undertake a psychiatric or neurological
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mental condition assessment, which could include a psychological evaluation but such an assessment should only be considered after continuous consultation involving the pilot association and appropriate medical authorities, and where the individual concerned has exhibited long term problems in the course of line duties, or when undergoing normal recurrent/training checks that, in the judgement of the local Pilot Advisory Group, could have an adverse effect on flight safety; or where the individual is known to be under serious stress because of life-crisis type phenomena (e.g. relationship or financial problems, etc.) which can be shown to have a serious effect on performance. IFALPA states that an assessment should be performed by an unbiased accredited expert familiar with the aviation environment and chosen and agreed upon by the two above-mentioned parties. The results should be absolutely confidential and never be used as a reason for automatic refusal, revocation or non-renewal of licence. IFALPA strongly supports behavioural assistance and job integration in conjunction with follow-up programmes in this context. According to Nico Voorbach, President of the European Cockpit Association, which follows IFALPA guidelines, psychological issues affecting pilots are not a big problem in terms of aviation security. “Pilots are thoroughly checked before starting to fly. This includes a full psychological test. Furthermore every pilot undergoes training at least five times a year where their stability to react to unforeseen circumstances is checked. When there is doubt about the stability of the pilot this will most certainly be shown during those checks. Above this every pilot undergoes an annual full medical check. Any problems in blood pressure or stress can be found here.” Robert Bor, a clinical psychologist and consultant to the airline industry says that general psychological screening (not to be confused with psychometrics for crew selection purposes) is discouraged and not liked by pilots and probably has no predictive value. Professor Bor’s findings into a report on pilot mental health screening following the Osbon incident were that doctors who carry out the regular standard medical check-up should pay more attention to mental health aspects but that there was no case for testing. Indeed, Captain Osbon’s most recent check-up prior to the incident had been four months earlier and he had a clean record.
Mental Health Support & Counselling Depending on the size and culture of the airline, there may be in-house mental health staff, such as psychologists and
February 2013 Aviationsecurityinternational
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