The Alaska Airlines incident is sparking a debate.
In an unnerving incident last month, an off-duty pilot flying jumpseat attempted to shut off the engines mid-flight. Alaska Airlines pilot Joseph D. Emerson was seated behind the pilots when he threw his headset and said, “I’m not okay” before grabbing the engine shutoff handles. The pilot in charge grabbed Emerson’s wrist and engaged physically, after which he was escorted to the back of the plane and handcuffed.
The plane was diverted and it safely landed in Portland, where Emerson was arrested. He now faces 83 counts of attempted murder.
Nothing Wrong Outwardly
According to an Alaska Airlines statement, neither the gate agents nor the flight crew observed any signs of impairment that would have prevented Emerson from flying. The crew, in an affidavit, also said that there was no indication of anything wrong with Emerson and he engaged in conversations about the weather and the plane during the flight.
But something had been brewing internally.
Emerson allegedly told the FBI that he had a nervous breakdown and he hadn’t slept in 40 hours. He also mentioned to the Port of Portland Police that he had taken psychedelic mushrooms about 48 hours prior to the flight and admitted to having depression for the last six years.
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Alaska Airlines in its statement mentioned that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has a mandatory drug testing program and airlines have a zero tolerance policy for substance abuse. “This can include random testing before or after a flight, as well as reasonable suspicion testing of on-duty Pilots and Flight Attendants.”
Emerson was en route to fly another plane, and his mental state sparked many conversations about the mental health of pilots and safety in the cockpit. Vance Hilderman, CEO of AFuzion, an aviation training company, asked what would have happened if there were less experienced pilots in the cockpit or if it had been a face-off between one pilot and Emerson, while another pilot had been in the bathroom?
“We need better training to handle these situations.” Hilderman says that training for an incident similar to the one in October is currently non-existent.
Related: There Were 46 Near-Miss Flight Collisions in the U.S. Last Month
Pilots’ Mental Health Debate
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), pilots need to undergo a medical exam every six months to five years depending on their age and type of flying. They also need to report medications, mental health issues, and psychological conditions. The FAA encourages pilots to seek professional help, explaining that treatable conditions don’t disqualify pilots from flying.
In practice, however, reporting mental health issues may lead to a pilot being denied the medical clearance to fly.
CBS News reported in August that an army veteran was turned down a pilot license because he reported having PTSD. He felt that he was being punished for talking about the issue. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy told CNN that there’s a stigma around mental health and for that reason, pilots go without help.
Captain Dennis Tajer, spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, echoed the same sentiment in an interview with NPR, saying that pilots have a lot to lose. “If I don’t have the mental fitness to get this done, I’m going to be grounded, lose my job, lose my home. And these are all awfulizing thoughts that the pilots go through that stop them from getting the care that they need if they need it.”
Aviation has become a lot more stressful. Flying a plane during the pandemic was wrought with issues, including tight flying schedules, unruly passengers, and risks of catching the virus. Airlines offered voluntary retirements to their crews, and now there’s a major shortage of flight crew and pilots, and it may take years for airlines to fill the vacancies.
Hilderman says that many improvements can be made to ensure safety in the flight deck, including more in-depth psychological assessments by psychiatrists, not MDs. The aviation bodies can also “require assessments annually as human’s situations can rapidly change,” like bankruptcy, loss of marriage or a child, unrelated health issues, and alcoholism and drug-abuse. He also recommends adding a per-trip assessment of peers: “just a quick checklist with several mental health questions of their colleague.”