The deadly
crash of a Germanwings jet has regulators not just in Europe thinking about how
to prevent such mishaps. Now the US regulator has said it has plans to study
pilots' mental health.
Deutsche Welle, 28 May 2015
The US
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement posted on its website
on Wednesday that it had instructed its Pilot Fitness Aviation Rulemaking Committee
(ARC) to make recommendations on how to better screen the safety of pilots
flying in American airspace within the next six months.
It said the
study, which is to be conducted by FAA officials and representatives of the
private aviation industry, was aimed at finding more effective ways of
monitoring the mental and emotional health of pilots.
The
statement specifically referred to the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines
flight MH370 over the Indian Ocean last year, as well as Germanwings flight 4U9525, which slammed into a mountain in southern France on March 24, killing
all 150 people on board.
While there
is still no evidence to suggest what caused MH370 to disappear from the radar,
the preliminary results of an investigation into the Germanwings crash has
suggested that the flight's co-pilot deliberately crashed the Airbus A-320
after locking the pilot out of the cockpit.
The ARC,
which according to the FAA statement, is to include both American and
international "aviation industry experts," is to be tasked with
examining not only the methods of evaluating pilots' mental health, but also
barriers to reporting any suspected issues.
The Reuters
news agency quoted a statement issued by Claudia Lange, a spokesperson for
German flag-carrier Lufthansa, which owns budget air carrier Germanwings as
saying that the airline "highly welcomes efforts that serve to further
increase international aviation safety and will fully support these
efforts."
pfd/jil (AFP, Reuters)
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