Wall Street Journal citing US officials investigating the Eastern China B737-800 crash in March 22 suggests that someone in cockpit gave control inputs which sent the plane into steep dive crashing at remote hill and killing everyone on board. If confirmed by NTSB this would be the third major disaster attributed to pilot suicide- murder. This includes German Wings flight in 2015 that was flown into French hills by co-pilot and Mozambique Airlines flight in Nov 2013. Reoccurrence of such incidents has highlighted the worry of air travellers for the safety. Should they be worried or scared to step into the aircraft for their future travel.
Let’s look at some statistics before we proceed further.
From the above chart it is very clear that air travel is the safest mode of travel and we are not talking about comfort and ease of travel. If we take into account all the other factors air travel will win with huge margin from its nearest rivals.
Second aspect would be the pilots or drivers who control these vehicles. Who amongst them are more prone to suicide or suicide-murde? A research into pilot aircraft assisted suicide rate in last 20 years (1993-2012) is 0.33% of fatal aircraft accident. While suicide road accidents as per one report is 2-4%, and other report estimates the ratio closer to 6%. When we compare the figures it very evident that suicidal tendencies amongst pilot is much less which can be correlated with factors like motivation, training and social support.
The other important aspect which needs to be highlighted is every aviation accident or incident receives huge media and public attention. This forces government and regulatory authorities to take quick action to prevent occurrence of such incidents in future. After German Wings Flight accident in 2015, European Aviation Safety Authority, mandated that airline pilots in the EU be psychologically assessed prior to joining an airline and for crew to have access to pilot peer support programmes. The regulator also required aviation medical examiners to focus greater attention on pilot mental health and well-being in their annual pilot assessments. Along with this it became mandatory for two person to be always present in the cockpit. This is now the normal being followed by all airlines and flight crew.
It is well acknowledged fact that pilots job is one of the most riskiest job in the world. Due to this very reason it leads to fatigue and stress. All airlines carry out pilot psychological assessment of attribute and suitability for work environment and safe operation of aircraft. Airlines also ensure that flight crew undergo Crew Resource Management course for stress and fatigue management, problem solving, leadership and communication etc. These courses further enhances their resilience and adaptability to work environment.
Having seen the statistics and facts, I do not need to re-emphasise the point that air travel is the safest mode of travel. However, instead I wish to focus on what more could be done to alleviate the fear of public and prevent reoccurrence of such events.
Suicidology highlights the role of society and cultural factors and individual risk factors, such as depression, financial or legal crisis in relation to the causes of suicide. Such research also highlights the importance of preventive strategies focusing on the promotion of resilience and the enhancement of protective factors such as social support. Studies has shown that economic crises increase the mental burden on work and workload. In addition to this, it is well established that an economic downturn is associated with an increase in suicides in the general population.
Although studies are unable to precisely determine a causal link between societal changes on pilot suicide, it is arguably feasible that significant, sudden and adverse changes in society can have an impact on pilot mental health. Due to the deleterious effects of COVID-19 on society generally, and on aviation industry specifically, we are living through the most significant and enduring aviation crisis in the history of modern commercial aviation. Thousands of air crew worldwide including pilots and cabin crew, are threatened with redundancy, unwelcome changes to their employment contracts such as increased duty times and lower pay, and the prospect that some may never fly for a living again. Currently a large proportion of pilots are furloughed or out of work. As they find employment, it is very likely that their job demand and workload will increase. Additionally, some pilots are self-employed and continue to work on zero-hours contracts and are without employment protection or health care support. It is important to note that each time a pilot visits their aeromedical examiner (AME) or aviation psychologist, there may be a fear – the loss of their medical certification. Due to current situation, pilots may be reluctant to report to their AME conditions that could affect crew licensing due to their concerns that this could affect their livelihoods. A Catch-22 situation.
In few words I can say that “Everything …. … …. affects everything.”
The medical risks to pilots, whether to their physical or mental health, are clearly theoretically raised during the COVID-19 pandemic for the reasons outlined above. So the best preventive strategy would be to provide-
- Easy access to medical and psychological support to address pilot stress, distress and the potential for increased pilot suicides as a direct result of economic effects of the pandemic.
- As there are no standardized clinical scales for assessing suicide risk, the focus of support should target all pilots who are distressed, have experienced severe life-events in their own life, have depressive symptoms or express hopelessness .
- All pilots with any risk should receive psychoeducation, information on stress management and needs-based care.
- Further sensitising, informing and educating health care staff working with the pilots.
- Further study the role of social and organizational as well as individual factors and circumstances to understanding particular cases of pilot suicide.
To summarise, the new normal, does not become normal just by redefining it. It will take numerous studies to bring out the cost of COVID-19 pandemic and it’s long term effects on humans. As usual it is time for action and proactive thinking. I leave that to specialists while I prepare for my next takeoff.
The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die.
The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
Be safe. Fly safe. Happy Landings.
