Alaska jump seat Pilot Incident suggests that Pilot Peer Groups for Mental Health should be MANDATORY to detect this insidious safety risk.
Pilot Mental Health has been a prominent issue in the general media and in this Journal:
sm 06.07.2022 FLYING adds knowledge to the issue of Pilot Mental Health^J THANKS (1).docx
11.03.2020PILOT MENTAL HEALTH (2).docx
A prominent thoracic surgeon once explained that no diagnosis of a pilot’s heart health can be 1000% certain unless they allow non-destructive testing of this vital organ. Mental Health is an even greater challenge for pilots—the most detailed assessment is only valid as long as external and internal factors do not disturb the psyche. Further, the average observer is not well equipped to judge a brain’s well-being. Mental Health is an insidious aviation safety risk.
The recent almost tragic incident involving an Alaska Airlines pilot RIDING JUMP SEAT has been headlined by all media outlets. Below are two of those accounts: the first focuses on how normal the suicidal individual appeared to be; number two is a more technical account of the event.
The FAA Federal Air Surgeon, Susan E. Northrup, M.D., MPH, has championed a new approach to treating this all-too-common affliction. In the past, admission by a pilot that (s)he had demons was a virtual resignation from a flying career. Through her medical, psychological expertise, her organization has defined a new, better path back to the cockpit from Most people with a history of adjustment disorders, bereavement, dysthymia, mild or moderate depression, personality disorders without overt acts, or substance abuse/dependence.
Under her leadership a Pilot Fitness Aviation Rulemaking Committee was chartered by the FAA to assess methods used to evaluate and monitor pilot mental health as well as possible barriers to reporting concerns. The final report on Nov. 18, 2015, concluded that “the best strategy for minimizing the risks related to pilot mental fitness is to create an environment that encourages and is supportive of pilot voluntary self-disclosure.” The report noted, “Early identification of mental fitness issues leads to better results.” The committee offered recommendations including the use of pilot assistance programs, emphasizing that pilots would benefit from a “confidential, nonstigmatized, and safe environment.” The final report stated that when a culture of mutual trust and cooperation is created, pilots are less likely to conceal conditions and more likely to seek help for mental health issues.
The FAA ENCOURAGES PILOT PEER SUPPORT PROGRAMS organized by airlines and unions, as part of its efforts to enhance pilot mental fitness. These programs are voluntary and confidential and aim to provide pilots with a safe and supportive environment to discuss any personal or professional issues that may affect their well-being or performance.
Alaska Airlines has a pilot peer group for mental health. It is called Pilot Peer Support (PPS)1 and it is a confidential, voluntary, and non-disciplinary program that provides assistance to pilots who are experiencing personal or professional problems. PPS is staffed by trained volunteer pilots who are available 24/7 to listen, offer support, and connect pilots with appropriate resources. PPS is endorsed by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and Alaska Airlines management as a valuable resource for pilots’ well-being. It is not known whether this pilot or the flight crew had sought PPS or received PPS training
The NTSB probable cause may or may not recommend PPS become mandatory without some causal relationship between the pilot’s mental stability and this interventionist, proactive tool.
In light of the difficulty of detecting a pilot suffering some psychological problem, MIGHT IT BE WISE FOR DR. NORTHRUP TO MOVE PPS FROM RECOMMENDED TO MANDATORY? More eyes, OR IS IT MORE APROPRIATELY EARS to listen, to require that all airlines must have PPS and even to require all cockpit crew members and flight managers to learn the valuable lessons of PPS. The UK CAA and EASA already impose this preventative discipline, plus ALPA is already deeply committed to its benefits
- Joseph David Emerson, 44, faces the homicide charges along with an additional 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft
- Emerson is believed to have been sat in the jump seat beside the operating pilot on board a Embraer 175 plane flying from Everett to San Francisco on Sunday
- Shocked neighbors in his California community said he is a loving husband and father to his two young sons who did not seem to have any issues
By SHAWN COHEN IN SAN FRANCISCO and LAURA PARNABY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot, described by neighbors as a ‘LOVELY AND FANTASTIC’ MARRIED FATHER-OF-TWO, is facing 83 counts of attempted murder after he tried to shut down the engines of a plane he was traveling on, authorities say.
Passengers on-board the nearly-doomed flight said they were told Joseph David Emerson, 44, had a ‘mental breakdown’ before he allegedly tried to engage a fire suppression system that would shut off the engines while mid-air.
…
Neighbors describe Emerson as a happy, playful dad, a friendly man with NO ISSUES THEY KNEW ABOUT. He would play basketball with his kids on a court he built for them in the back yard, and invited neighbors over for parties.
Deadheading Pilot Tries To Douse Engines In Flight
By Russ Niles
The FAA says an Alaska Airlines PILOT FLYING IN THE JUMPSEAT of an Embraer E175 on Sunday tried to disable the engines on the aircraft by attempting to set off the fire extinguishers on both. The flight, operating as a Horizon Air service, was headed from
Everett, Washington, to San Francisco and diverted to Portland. According to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in Portland, Joseph David Emerson, 44, has now been charged with 83 counts each of attempted murder and reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft.
According to the Seattle Times, the FAA issued an alert on its Domestic Events Network, which is distributed to airlines, that a pilot passenger tried “to disable aircraft engines while at cruise altitude by deploying the engine fire suppression system.” To fully activate each system, a ceiling-mounted handle must be first pulled down. This cuts off fuel, electrical power and hydraulics to the engine. Twisting the handle then releases halon gas inside the engine to smother a fire.
It’s not clear at which point the pilots intervened, but there was no power loss according to the airline. “Fortunately some residual fuel remains in the line, and the quick reaction of our crew to reset the handles restored fuel flow and prevented fuel starvation,” Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Alexa Rudin told the Times. The FAA said the crew was then able to subdue the jumpseat passenger and get him out of the flight deck.
The story began making the rounds in social media late Sunday with a LiveATC clip (go to about 10:30) that captured a brief conversation between the captain and air traffic control after things had settled down. As the controller was directing the E175 to Portland for an emergency landing, he asked the crew about the “threat level” onboard. “I’ll just give you a heads-up. We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit,” a pilot told the controller. “It doesn’t seem like he’s causing any issue at the back. I think he’s subdued. Other than that, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked.”
