The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) day-long aviation safety summit on navigating mental health in aviation concluded yesterday with encouragement across industry leaders that the issue is getting more attention. In addition to the summit, the FAA also this week announced that it is chartering an aviation rulemaking committee focused on breaking through barriers for pilots and air traffic controllers to seek medical health.
However, the summit spotlighted many of those barriers, particularly the lack of trust pilots, controllers, and other aviation professionals have that they would lose their ability to continue in their profession if they seek help and then report that help.
While often characterized as perceptions—and only in fact a tiny percentage of those with medical conditions are permanently disqualified—Dr. Anne Suh, who lost her son to suicide, noted that summits such as the one yesterday wouldn’t be necessary if it were only a matter of perception.
NTSB member Bruce Landsberg emphasized the lack of clarity around acceptable medications, the special issuance process, and the data in determining the approach to mental health issues.
“We need to be very transparent now about what the medical requirements are and the evaluation process and that needs to be shared in total with the [aviation medical examiners (AMEs)],” Landsberg said. “I think we need to train and empower your AMEs because you're never going get enough money out of the government to sufficiently staff for this. That's the only way we're going to get the timelines down to anything reasonable.”
Landsberg also stressed the need for a collaborative, non-punitive process for people to self-report.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy wrapped up the day stressing, “I'd say yes on data, but also yes on action.” She also said the participants—who ranged from educators to medical experts, as well as association leaders—need to continue to collaborate to chart the next steps forward.
Penny Giovanetti, director of the FAA’s medical specialties division, told attendees that she had taken four pages of notes to contemplate on going forward. “It's clear, everybody's been very open and honest,” Giovanetti said of the participants, who shared anecdotes and concerns about the length of time, lack of clarity, and other obstacles they’ve encountered in delving into help with mental health issues as an aviation professional.
She recalled a note she received thanking her for her help in getting a pilot back in the cockpit and said, “I won't be happy until everybody who has an interaction with us over these issues feels the same way about it.”