Mental issue does not disqualify pilots forever

A mental breakdown or a period of depression would not necessarily preclude a pilot from flying a plane in the future, according to European rules.

And the issue of whether there should be one or two pilots in the cockpit at all times was determined by the equipment which was different in an Airbus than in a Boeing plane.

Reports say that Andreas Lubitz, the 27 year old co-pilot on the Germanwings flight, took a six-month break during his training because of psychological problems.

But EU sources said that under the existing rules, the only requirement is that a specialist medical doctor passes the pilot as physically and psychologically fit to fly at the time of examination.

There are very stringent rules on psychological and psychiatric assessments applied to applicants to train as pilots and on pilots themselves. They are repeated at least every 12 months and ad hoc checks can be carried out at any time.

There is an elaborate system of reporting and every crew member and pilot is obliged to report on anything that happens during a flight that could cause a problem.

EU rules do not say there must be two pilots in the cockpit at all times because it has depended on the design of the plane, sources say.

With the Airbus there was a CCTV camera that showed the pilot who the person was on a monitor he could see without having to leave the controls. On the Boeing aircraft where a spy-hole system is in place, a second pilot is required to sit at the controls.

When the sealed cockpit was devised in the wake of 9/11, that a pilot could pose a flight risk was not contemplated.

The issue of having two people in the cockpit at all times would now be considered.

A statement from the ECA, representing more than 38,000 pilots from across Europe, said the revealing of the data from the cockpit voice recorder was a serious breach of globally accepted accident investigation rules: “Given the level of pressure this leak has undoubtedly created, the investigation team faces a serious distraction. The required lead of safety investigators appears to have been displaced by prosecutorial considerations. This is highly prejudicial, and an impediment to making aviation safer with lessons from the tragedy”.

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