Revelations that the co-pilot of German wings Flight 9525 deliberately crashed the plane into the French Alps on Tuesday has raised questions about airlines' policy for screening pilots for mental health problems.
Reports said on Friday that the copilot, Andreas Lubitz, had suffered from depression and anxiety in the past and once quit training to undergo psychiatric treatment.
Airlines in India subject pilots to comprehensive tests to evaluate their physical and mental health at the time of recruitment. However, during the course of service, no specific tests are conducted to analyse the state of mind of pilots, who are responsible for at least a hundred lives every time they fly.
Some aviation experts say it will be very difficult to regularly screen pilots for psychiatric problems, partly because they may not disclose issues that may jeopardise their careers.
The experts, however, say some checks could be introduced to find out if the pilot is stressed or behaving differently. An informal system in which the staff reports odd behaviour already exists among Indian carriers.
"During the pre-flight medical examination, a qualified shrink could conduct a quick test to determine if the pilot is stressed out or is suffering from fatigue. Such a system is followed by Israeli airlines," said prominent aviation expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan.
Currently, before every flight, a general practitioner asks the pilots to take a breathalyser test.
Before pilots are issued a flying licence, they have to undergo electroencephalography (EEG), which helps detect abnormalities in the electrical activity of the brain.
28/03/15 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror
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Reports said on Friday that the copilot, Andreas Lubitz, had suffered from depression and anxiety in the past and once quit training to undergo psychiatric treatment.
Airlines in India subject pilots to comprehensive tests to evaluate their physical and mental health at the time of recruitment. However, during the course of service, no specific tests are conducted to analyse the state of mind of pilots, who are responsible for at least a hundred lives every time they fly.
Some aviation experts say it will be very difficult to regularly screen pilots for psychiatric problems, partly because they may not disclose issues that may jeopardise their careers.
The experts, however, say some checks could be introduced to find out if the pilot is stressed or behaving differently. An informal system in which the staff reports odd behaviour already exists among Indian carriers.
"During the pre-flight medical examination, a qualified shrink could conduct a quick test to determine if the pilot is stressed out or is suffering from fatigue. Such a system is followed by Israeli airlines," said prominent aviation expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan.
Currently, before every flight, a general practitioner asks the pilots to take a breathalyser test.
Before pilots are issued a flying licence, they have to undergo electroencephalography (EEG), which helps detect abnormalities in the electrical activity of the brain.
28/03/15 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror
