Mentally stable at 38,000 feet: Can you trust your pilot?
By SCOTT MAYEROWITZ

NEW YORK (AP) — Airline pilots are supposed to be the ones we trust.

They greet us at the door of the plane in their crisp, military-style uniforms, then welcome us aboard with that familiar soothing drawl over the PA system as we buckle ourselves in. When there's turbulence, they offer reassurance. And when the plane safely touches down, they invite us to fly with them again.

Now, that feeling of security has taken a hit.

Investigators say the co-pilot of a Germanwings airliner locked the pilot out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed the jet in the French Alps, killing all 150 people aboard.

"In the near term, pilots will be looked at with a bit more suspicion," said former US Airways pilot John M. Cox, now CEO of the consulting firm Safety Operating Systems. "This rogue pilot is not the first one and sadly will not be the last one."

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, aviation security has focused on protecting pilots from passengers — not the other way around. Fliers are screened for guns and explosives, but some pilots are allowed to carry their own weapons. Also, pilots might undergo mental health screenings when hired, but once they are on the job there is very little renewed testing.

"Right now, I don't think there's anyone who isn't worried," said Steve Serdachny, an airline passenger on his way from Toronto to Moscow, via Helsinki. "Flying is a safe form of transport, but you can't stop crazy. If someone decides to act in a crazy manner, there's nothing anyone can do about it."

Passenger confidence will probably be rebuilt over time. Last year, airlines flew 3.7 billion passengers worldwide; 641 died in crashes. And this isn't the first time a rogue pilot killed everyone aboard.

Previous cases included a Japan Airlines flight in 1982, a SilkAir disaster in 1997 and an EgyptAir crash in 1999. Aviation experts believe all those tragedies were pilot suicides. More recently, a preliminary investigation into a November 2013 flight from Mozambique suggests the pilot locked the co-pilot out of the cockpit and then deliberately crashed the jet.

Then there is Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, whose disappearance a year ago remains one of aviation's greatest mysteries. A leading theory is that one of the pilots intentionally crashed the jet in a remote stretch of ocean.

Mental health screening of pilots varies by airline and country. In the U.S., the largest aviation market in the world, pilots are required to pass a physical exam annually or every six months, depending on their age. They are required to disclose all existing physical and psychological conditions and medications or face fines of up to $250,000.

The Federal Aviation Administration says doctors are supposed to ask mental health questions as part of the exam, but several pilots have told The Associated Press they were not specifically questioned about such things.

"They check your eyes, your ears, your heart — all the things that start going bad when you get older. But they don't do anything for your head," said Bob Kudwa, a former American Airlines pilot.

Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings, said psychological tests are not part of his pilots' yearly medical exams.

"No system in the world can rule out such an isolated event," Spohr said.

Andreas Lubitz, the 27-year-old co-pilot of Tuesday's Germanwings flight, underwent his last regular security check on Jan. 27. Nothing unusual was noted.

A French prosecutor said there is no indication the crash was terrorism, and investigators are instead focusing on Lubitz's personal and professional life.

"One person can't have the right to end the lives of hundreds of people and families," said Esteban Rodriguez, a Spanish factory worker who lost two friends in the crash.

Passengers have always had a special relationship with pilots.

As airlines developed in the early 1930s, a lot of thought was given to ways to reassure jittery fliers. Pilots were given white hats and navy blue, double-breasted jackets. Stripes on their sleeves and cuffs signified rank. The uniform — along with titles of captain and first officer — were borrowed from the ocean liners of the day.

Pilots routinely introduce themselves to the passengers over the PA before takeoff. Travelers rarely hear such greetings from bus drivers, train engineers or ferry captains.

To enjoy their trip, fliers need to ignore the fact that they are in a pressurized aluminum tube, loaded with thousands of pounds of highly flammable fuel, racing through the air at 500 mph and an altitude of perhaps 40,000 feet. It is part of the pilot's job to assure the passengers they are safe.

"Not only do I have to convince myself of that," Cox said, "but I have to convince you to strap into the seat behind me."
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Associated Press writers Joan Lowy in Washington, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Matti Huuhtanen in Helsinki contribute to this story.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-03-27

I'd be more concerned about the suicidal bus drivers through out Thailand!

I'd be more concerned about pathetic journalist spreading utter crap and nonsense.

HOW MANY billions of airmailed are flown per one of these incident?? Trillions, thousands of trillions, god zillions ? ?

What a load of cheap sensationalist

Hog wash !

Sad as this event is, nothing in this world is 100% if "man" has the final control.........

It may be hogwash, but its hogwash that will be in a lot of peoples minds.

I flew Bkk/Lhr last April, just after MH370's disappearance, here i am flying again next week after this tragic event, no similar events have happened in between. and will it stop me flying, probable not, but it does make you think, and adds extra worries to the journey. if a bus driver crashes, there is a good chance you will walk away, but if some lunatic up front of a plane, had a rough night, or he caught his wife with another man, you don't. Should i have to think about that, no the airline industry need to react to this new threat in the skies, they locked all cabin doors after 9/11, now they need to come up with something else, because the locked doors are causing this new terror. Do we need a security guard or air Marshall in the cabin? above my pay grade but we do need something, Soon. Maybe we need to install the locked door, removed from the flight crew, and all flight crew never go outside that door, toilets need to be inside that locked door.

Sad as this event is, nothing in this world is 100% if "man" has the final control.........

Maybe that is the answer... take away the human element.

Maybe not.

What worries me is that this may be a trend. There is wide speculation(probably the case) that flight Malaysia Flight 370 was taken over by a pilot Now this flight was taken over by another pilot .

Cock pits are designed to foil someone from breaking into it But not designed to thwart a pilot with other motives.

There needs to be a better veting process for pilots . They have many lives at stake.

Mandatory Physiological tests on an annual basis is the first step to be taken

One could minimize risks, but NEVER eliminate it 100%

A bare fact in life.

It is hard to believe that the co-pilot will count on the pilot to leave the cabin to act...and just few minutes before landing. Also it is hard to believe that any pilot will commit suicide killing hundreds too, when it is easy for them just to rent a small plane and do it alone.....and like an accident.

It is a reasonable expectation that a pilot will do his best to arrive at the next port alive. The chance of getting on an airplane with a pilot capable and prepared to commit mass murder suicide is still too small to consider. However, everyday on the highway in Thailand I accept that anything may happen and have no confidence in any other driver to make reasonable choices. Yet I do not hesitate to turn the key.

I hope the airlines do make some changes to psyche assessments of their pilots, but I think it is nearly impossible to eliminate the risk.

It is hard to believe that the co-pilot will count on the pilot to leave the cabin to act...and just few minutes before landing. Also it is hard to believe that any pilot will commit suicide killing hundreds too, when it is easy for them just to rent a small plane and do it alone.....and like an accident.

Yes it would have been preferable if he had done himself in when he was renewing his glider license. There is a statement in his choice to kill a planeload of people. Maybe we will get more insight someday. Certainly some evil sh1t was in his head that day.

The sad thing about this crap journalism is that there will be more.

I look forward to:

Fox News Extra: "Is your pilot suicidal"?

Cosmo: "Are you going to die in a fiery crash: 12 ways to tell if your flight crew are having a nervous breakdown".

Bangkok Post: "Prayuth: 4U9525 proof that foreigners can't be trusted".

He was a slimey little dirtbag....may he rot in hell

Sad as this event is, nothing in this world is 100% if "man" has the final control.........

Maybe that is the answer... take away the human element.

Maybe not.

No thanks.

I just flew Bangkok to Nairobi, Kenya to Bomako, Mali on Air Kenya. Then Air France onto Paris, then to Bangkok and then took a taxi home. Never gave a thought about the Airline crew on any flight. More concerned about the taxi driver taking me home. The first Officer who deliberately crashed his Germanwings airliner, I view as an anomaly and nothing more. Air crews in my view, are of the highest calibre individuals possible, however nothing is fail-Safe. Still, nothing to worry about. IMHO.

It is an article that yes harnesses people's fears and amplifies them. It's what the media does best.

I've always considered air travel one of those forms of travel where things are out of your hands far more than most other ones. It is a total gamble. On flights, if I ever consider worst case scenarios I think more of technical failure, other planes in a busy sky or a fellow passenger with an agenda, than pilot mental health. Even now I reckon that is how I look at it. I hate even the slightest sudden drop that comes from turbulence. I fly to fly over long distances quickly, not because I enjoy it. It is uncomfortable, I hardly ever sleep, etc etc.

Scare mongering, the medias favorite pastime!

Scare mongering, the medias favorite pastime!

Danger, sex, sports, and weather. in that order. Sells a lot of ads.

Air crews in my view, are of the highest calibre individuals possible...

Really? You've never had a pilot as a friend or relative then.

Fun fact: A 747 is totally capable of take-off, flight, and landing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoland . A commercial plane can actually fly from one airport to another without a crew.

This article makes a strong argument for holding off on deciding the co-pilot did it on purpose:

http://www.wired.com/2015/03/germanwings-investigation-far-hardly-conclusive/

It's interesting that all of the news articles making this determination come from the same source. I find what the writer says about the way crashes are handled in France influencing the determination before all the evidence has been completely gone over interesting and credible.

Like I need anything else to worry about when I'm flying.. jeez.

This article makes a strong argument for holding off on deciding the co-pilot did it on purpose:

http://www.wired.com/2015/03/germanwings-investigation-far-hardly-conclusive/

It's interesting that all of the news articles making this determination come from the same source. I find what the writer says about the way crashes are handled in France influencing the determination before all the evidence has been completely gone over interesting and credible.

I'm afraid her logic is fundamentally flawed.

She says: "In other countries seasoned air safety investigators understand there is a multitude of factors that contribute to a disaster and will wait to have all the evidence before drawing conclusions."

But that only applies to ACCIDENTS.