Senator asks in 2015 for OIG for evaluation of FAA Pilot Mental Health Policy; 2023 Report is UNDERWHELMING
On April 20, 2015, Senator Dianne Feinstein requested that the DOT Office of Inspector General (OIG) review procedures and methods the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employs to EVALUATE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH OF AIRLINE PILOTS. The objectives of the report were to assess FAA’s procedures for (1) evaluating the psychological health of airline pilots and (2) mitigating potential threats to aviation safety from pilots with psychological health issues. The Senator’s initiative was driven by the March 24, 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed in the Alps, killing all 150 people on board. The crash was due to deliberate actions by the copilot. According to the final accident report, the copilot started to suffer from severe depression in 2008. On July 12, 2023, the referenced audit was released. After eight years1 had passed, the Assistant Inspector General for Aviation Audits concluded:
“To address the Agency’s need to encourage pilots with mental health issues to disclose and seek treatment for their conditions, we recommend the Federal Aviation Administrator:
1. COLLABORATE WITH AIRLINES, AIRLINE PILOT UNIONS, AND THE AEROSPACE MEDICAL COMMUNITY to conduct an assessment to IDENTIFY WAYS TO ADDRESS BARRIERS THAT DISCOURAGE PILOTS FROM DISCLOSING AND SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS, based on the latest data and evidence.
2. Develop and implement policy and protocol revisions recommended in the assessment”
Over the period of this study the FAA added Dr. Susan E. Northrup, M.D., MPH as its Federal Air Surgeon. Her academic and experience credentials qualify her as an extraordinarily capable person. Since taking office, Dr. Northrup has positively addressed a number of critical aviation safety issues—obesity, alcohol and drug dependencies, sleep apnea2, recurrent physicals, PTSD among others. Her approach has found an appropriate balance between safety and enlightened medical policies.
Here are some posts recording her actions:
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Knowledge & Insight
On December 9, #EASA proposed new operational rules to better support #pilot mental fitness, most of which seem to be correct. However, there might be some ambiguities that need to be resolved and refined.
#PilotMentalHealth is an #aviationsafety issue with #ignorance, #fear and #regulatory confusion. FLYING Magazine holds an #informative expert panel and publishes the insights #FAA #ALPA #APA #A4A
http://jdasolutions.aero/blog/flying-adds-knowledge-to-the-issue-of-pilot-mental-health-thanks/
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Mental health of pilots is difficult to diagnose and has unequaled impact on these professionals. Here’s an SME’s assessment of this problem.
Insights on pilot mental health from one who knows
AIN has published an expert’s presentation on the issue of pilot mental health. His observations and suggesti…
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NBAA on mental health through I’M SAFE and other preventative/remedial tactics
https://www.facebook.com/groups/387081154992096/permalink/1840250813008449/
NBAA has published a tremendously valuable article about pilot mental health. In particular, the paper highlights the wisdom of five subject matters experts advising how those charged with safety in the air should deal with this human challenge. Though the audience is for business aviators, ALL INVOLVED IN ALL TYPES (commercial, military, recreational) and ALL ASPECTS (flight ops, cabin crew, main…
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Destructive testing does not work on #mentalhealth and #pilots are reluctant to #selfdiagnose, so @NBAA published the thoughts by 5 #subjectmatterexperts on #proactive tactics and #awareness tells. @FAA #AMEs #AsME #GA #AOPA
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Federal Air Surgeon’s positive approach to ATP mental health
#FAA @Dr.SusanNorthrup #FederalAirSurgeon #ATP #mentalhealth #ALPA
Below is a report of a speech by the FAA Federal Air Surgeon about pilot mental health issues. Few recent appointments to FAA’s senior executive rival the talent, experience and policy initiatives than the selection of Dr. Northrup. Few issues about aviation safety rival THE QUESTION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESSES IMPACTING A PILOT’S PERFORMANCE In a cockpit…
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The OIG fails to mention what Dr. Northrup and her team have accomplished in the interim, as chronicled above.
The FAA responded to the OIG report with the following comments:
As early as 1974, it championed the Human Intervention Motivation Study (HIMS) program to allow a safe return to flying for pilots with substance addiction in recovery. In 2010, the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) Program provided a path for pilots with a variety of mental health diagnoses adequately treated with specific antidepressants to safely return to the cockpit. The FAA has continued to re-evaluate and modify these programs as new data and treatments become available. These enhancements help to reduce the stigma associated with mental health, the potential impact on pilot careers, and the fear of financial hardship that may deter pilots from seeking help. The Federal Air Surgeon has made breaking down barriers to seeking mental health care and full disclosure a high priority. The FAA notes that it is the complexity of mental health diagnoses, the vast array of mental health practitioners that may be involved in a pilot’s treatment, and the ever-expanding treatments and therapies prescribed by mental health professionals that necessitate the agency’s extensive evaluation procedures. Although OIG acknowledges the success of the FAA’s HIMS program, the FAA has concerns about the report’s comparison between the necessarily different HIMS and SSRI programs.
• The HIMS program monitors the effectiveness of treatment in pilots with specific diagnoses of substance dependence. In contrast, the SSRI program monitors the course of a variety of mental health diagnoses (e.g., depression, anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorder, and others). Each of these diagnoses has a different disease course, different treatment options, and different outcomes—even though SSRI medications may be prescribed as part of the treatment plans for all of them at different Appendix. Agency Comments 23 points.
• Structured or mandatory peer support group participation will not necessarily benefit individuals with all diagnoses that may be treated with SSRI medications.
• SSRI medications are treatments for conditions, not conditions themselves. The type of treatment prescribed by a medical professional should not be the basis for mandating an additional specific treatment protocol – e.g., peer support. Individuals behave and respond differently to treatment, and medical professionals are the appropriate arbiters of patient care. The FAA notes that expanding the SSRI program to include unnecessary treatment or monitoring protocols would likely further deter pilots from pursuing evaluation and care.
For some reason, the OIG fails to credit the FAA with these thoughtful, well-balanced and progressive initiatives. Hard for this organization with an institutional imperative of finding fault is make a positive grade, damning with faint praise?
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Report outlines challenges flagging pilots’ mental health conditions
The report was prompted by a 2015 incident when Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed in the Alps, killing all 150 people on board.
By: Justin Boggs
Posted at 10:17 AM, Jul 18, 2023and last updated 1:17 PM, Jul 18, 2023
A new report highlighted the challenges the Federal Aviation Administration faces in flagging pilots struggling with mental health. The report released by the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General last week was prompted by a 2015 incident when Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed in the Alps, killing all 150 people on board. The
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