Pilots Don’t Get Mental Health Checkups And It’s A Problem
Jackie Reddy August 03, 2018
These regulations come three years after the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525, which occurred in March of 2015. It was found that the plane’s co-pilot, who had been experiencing poor mental health, had caused the crash. These rules will see EU carriers enforce stricter assessment of mental health.
The European Union (EU) has announced that all pilots and crew employed by carriers within the bloc will now be assessed for mental health and psychological issues before they enter the cabin, the Daily Mail reports. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the body responsible for civil aviation within the EU, has lauded these tighter controls, the catalyst of which was the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 back in March of 2015.
The Dusseldorf-bound plane was deliberately crashed into the French Alps by the flight’s co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, killing all 144 passengers and 6 members of crew. After an extensive investigation, it was found that Lubitz had been experiencing mental health issues, which he had managed to hide from his employer.
After the crash, both the families of the victims as well as many within the aviation industry called for tighter regulation and stricter handling of any potential mental health issues among pilots.
Under these new regulations, which will now be rolled out during a two-year period, carriers will offer a program to help support any pilots experiencing mental health issues. Airlines will now also be required to carry out a psychological assessment of pilots prior to engaging them in employment and will also carry out alcohol testing.
Patrick Ky, executive director of EASA, commented on this new regulation in a statement, saying, “These new European rules take up the proposals EASA made in its swift follow-up of the Germanwings Flight 9525 accident, in consultation with the wider aviation community. With these rules Europe introduces the right tools to safeguard the mental fitness of air crew. During the two year transition period, EASA will actively support European and international stakeholders in implementing this new Regulation.”
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[Image Source: Wikimedia Commons]
