FAA

The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), commercial airlines and pilots’ unions have agreed to adopt recommendations of an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) regarding mental health issues of pilots.

The initiative aims to improve mental health assessments and encourage voluntary reporting of pilot mental health issues.

Joint FAA and industry group Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) recommended the ARC’s study based on the recent Malaysia Flight 370 and Germanwings Flight 9525 incidents.

Comprising aviation and medical experts, the ARC has also made several other recommendations in regards to pilot medical fitness.

US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said: "Safety is always our first priority and this includes making sure our nation’s commercial pilots undergo robust medical evaluations.

"The US commercial aviation community is working together to make sure pilots are able to report, and be treated for, any mental health condition.

"We must be confident pilots are medically fit when they enter the cockpit."

FAA noted that a number of medical conditions including psychosis, bipolar disorder and severe personality disorder automatically disqualify a pilot from obtaining the agency’s medical certificate and prohibit them from flying.

But several pilots are undergoing treatable conditions.

Various US carriers already have undertaken reporting and monitoring programmes with which the pilots can report their condition, be treated for it and return to the cockpit once the FAA has determined it to be safe.

"We must be confident pilots are medically fit when they enter the cockpit."

In January, FAA started improved training for aviation medical examiners to increase their knowledge on mental health and improve their ability to identify warning signs.

According to the ARC recommendations, airlines and unions will expand the use of pilot assistance programmes.

Over the next year, the FAA will help developing these programmes, which will be included in the airline’s safety management systems for identifying risk.

The FAA will also work with airlines over the next year to develop pilot support programmes to reduce the stigma around mental health issues.

Airlines will receive guidance from the FAA to encourage best practices about these programmes.

The FAA will also ask the Aerospace Medical Association to consider addressing the issue of professional reporting responsibilities on a national basis.

In its report, the ARC has not recommended routine psychological testing because there was no credible evidence that it would improve safety.

But the FAA and the aviation industry is adopting a holistic approach that covers education, outreach, training, and promotes reporting and treatment of mental health issues

The FAA will also partner with the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority to include medical and psychiatric outcomes, as well as investigating early recognition of personality and behavioural issues that may pose issues in the future for pilots.

Image: The FAA initiative aims to improve mental health assessments and encourage voluntary reporting of pilot mental health issues. Photo: courtesy of Dundee Photographics via FreeDigitalPhotos.net.