The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced plans to conduct a roundtable discussion on pilot mental health in response to recent incidents involving apparent mental breakdowns among flight crew members.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy addressed the issue during a speech at the Air Traffic Control Association’s Global Aviation Conference, emphasizing that mental health issues among flight deck crew often go unreported and untreated, potentially compromising aviation safety. She identified the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) rules on the subject as a primary obstacle, suggesting that they inadvertently encourage individuals to withhold or misrepresent their mental health history to avoid consequences.
Homendy expressed concerns about the safety implications of a system that discourages individuals from seeking help and potentially silences those facing mental health challenges. She pointed out that mental health issues impact aviation professionals like other individuals and emphasized the need for a supportive environment for treatment.
The NTSB’s roundtable discussion on pilot mental health is scheduled for December 6 and is part of a series of events focusing on aviation safety. This initiative comes after recent incidents, including a Delta Air Lines first officer threatening a captain with a firearm during a commercial flight and an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot attempting to shut off an aircraft’s engines during a flight while claiming to have experienced a “nervous breakdown.”
The issue of pilot mental health has long been a significant concern in aviation, with many pilots acknowledging that they do not report mental health struggles or the use of medication to aviation authorities for fear of losing their medical certification. The NTSB’s move to address this critical issue has been met with broad support within the aviation community.
Homendy stressed the importance of modernizing the approach to pilot mental health and creating a safe space for aviation professionals to seek help when needed, calling for a change in attitudes and a more supportive framework for addressing mental health concerns in aviation.
