2023-12-06 03:54:00
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) -The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it has officially created a new rules committee that will provide recommendations to the FAA on ways to identify and break down any remaining barriers discouraging pilots from reporting mental health issues and seeking care.
The announcement comes just one day before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is set to host a summit on addressing pilot mental health issues.
Atlanta News First spoke to local pilots regarding the new committee.
“I think it’s needed, we definitely need to vet our pilots to make sure they’re safe,” corporate pilot Jesse Dequaine said.
Duquaine said it’s time to make sure everyone feels safe talking regarding their mental health before they step into the cockpit.
“I would just be cautious in how they are going to do it,” Duquaine said.
Dequaine said if the FAA makes it harder on pilots to get their medical clearance it may exacerbate the current pilot shortage, adding more hours, more work days, and more stress to current pilots we have.
“We have to get our medical every six months and that’s already causing more stress,” Duquaine said.
According to the FAA, pilots are required to self-disclose any mental health disorders including psychosis, bipolar disorder, and some types of personality disorders to the FAA.
The FAA encourages pilots to report issues because most won’t interfere with flying, but the FAA also said it will revoke a pilot’s medical certificate if it becomes aware of certain medical issues.
Without a medical certificate, a pilot can’t fly, according to the FAA.
Even with the current system in place, pilots like Joseph Emerson are getting past the FAA.
Emerson tried to crash an Alaska Airlines flight from inside the cockpit by attempting to shut off the plane’s engine.
Emerson told police he had not slept in 40 hours and took magic mushrooms two days before the incident to cope with the loss of his friend.
The FAA has now created a panel of experts who will sit on the new Mental Health Aviation Rulemaking Committee where they will advise the FAA on how to spot issues in pilots before they take flight.
The committee will also recommend ways to make pilots feel more comfortable regarding reporting mental health issues.
However, pilots told Atlanta News First the new FAA rulemaking committee needs to be sensitive in their approach.
“It needs to be more than the federal government saying here is the black and white line. It has be the pilots, it has to be the technicians, it has to be everyone in the aviation industry, psychiatrist, everybody weighing in on this,” Duquaine said.
Atlanta News First also spoke to a commercial pilot who had similar concerns and said mental health issues are easy to hide in the current system.
The NTSB summit tomorrow will bring together safety experts from the aviation industry, and mental health professionals to examine the issues in the FAA’s current mental health evaluation system, and experts will be exploring ways to modernize the approach while keeping everyone safe.
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