Missing jet episode raises questions on pilots' mental health checks

In India, DGCA does not mandate routine check-up of pilots' mental fitness

The mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines jetliner, MH370, has put in the spotlight airlines' role in assessing the psychological and mental health of their pilots to ensure there is no compromise on safety.

Among the possibilities being examined in the jetliner case are a malicious action on the pilot's part that could have led to a self-hijack of the plane and the pilot's suicide on board that could have caused loss of lives of 237 passengers and crew members.

In India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) does not mandate routine check-up of pilots' mental fitness. Also, it does not ask for mandatory psychometric tests before induction of pilots by airlines.

STATUTORY WARNING

• India follows the ICAO norms, where a licence-holding commercial pilot has to undergo a Class-1 medical check once every year, while a commander holding an airline transport pilot’s licence and pilots above 40 years have to go through medical tests twice a year
• Most Indian carriers undertake a detailed psycho motor and psychometric test of their pilots before inducting them
• Airlines have also developed innovative ways, such as creating peer groups, to keep a tab on pilots’ changing behaviour, if any
• The US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Authority also do not mandate a regular mental fitness test for pilots
• South Korea and Singapore, though, conduct an assessment of their pilots’ mental health at least once a year

India follows the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines. Under these, a holder of a commercial pilot's licence (CPL) has to undergo a Class-1 medical check every year. A commander holding an airline transport pilot's licence (ATPL) and all pilots aged above 40 years have to undergo medical tests twice a year. An electrocardiography (ECG) is conducted in every alternate check-up and a treadmill test (TMT) in every third. In these tests, pilots have to provide details of their personal and family medical history and sign statements that they do not suffer from serious mental ailments like depression, drug dependence and alcoholism.

These medical tests, pilots say, are more stringent than those in many other countries, as these are conducted by the Air Force Medical Board. DGCA has made it mandatory for each airline to have a crew resource management (CRM) session every year.

The Indian rules are largely in line with those of the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Authority, which also do not mandate a regular mental fitness test.

However, some countries like South Korea and Singapore conduct continuous assessment of their pilots' mental health - as individuals, in groups, as well as with family's help (once a year) in assessing any cause for concern.

Most carriers in India, though, undertake detailed psycho motor and psychometric tests of their pilots before inducting them. These tests vary with pilots' seniority and airlines' stated goals.

For instance, one of the leading Indian airlines puts three computers in front of a pilot. On the one in the middle, he has to simulate a flight path with a joystick; on the right one, he has to simultaneously solve mathematical questions; and on the left one, he has to respond to the commands given.

"The intensity of these tests is increased to understand whether or not a pilot can take stress, make quick responses and multi task under pressure. A detailed report is then made and the focus of the interview is on areas where he has got red marks," says a senior pilot trainer of a well-known Indian airline. The pilots also have to go through group situations to assess their leadership abilities and skills to work with others.

Indian pilots say most of them follow the South West Airline model, where more stress is laid on stability, mental strength and maturity than technical abilities. They add that any weakness in technical abilities can be rectified through training, thanks to an increasing automation in flying, but nothing can be done about mental attitude. The problem, they say, is more acute with India's airlines, which are expanding quickly. This gives most young pilots (aged 18 years or more) the opportunity to rise quickly, by exhibiting more maturity than is normal for their age, to become commanders.

Most Indian carriers, however, say that regular psychological tests make little sense, as there are enough global scientific data to show the mental make-up of a person does not change after he is 18-20 years old. "The key is choosing 'the right egg' when he or she enters. If you make a mistake there, you are doomed for ever," says a senior pilot of another Indian carrier.

Airlines have developed some innovative ways for keeping a tab on changes in pilots' behaviour, if any. One is through an extensive reporting system. Here, anyone from a ground staffer to a member of the crew can report an unusual change in the pilot's behaviour (if he has suddenly abused someone, for example). A high level of absenteeism can also lead to the red flag.

Another method is having a senior captain as the pilot supervisor of a base of not more than 50-60 pilots (a small group). The supervisor continuously interacts with his colleagues to know about any problem they might be facing. The idea of having small groups of pilots is to ensure that any behavioural change can be effectively gauged.

The third method is spotting psychological behavioural changes through the CRM programme. A senior executive in Air India says: "We have refresher courses every six months; CRM exercises are conducted during these." He points out, under one format of this programme, members of the cockpit crew and cabin crew are grouped randomly and made to discuss the sequence of events in a flight and the areas where they could have made mistakes. "It encourages inter-personal interactions and indicates signs of stress, work fatigue or abnormal behaviour, if any," adds the Air India executive.

An executive of another airline adds that the CRM exercise is very important in a hierarchical set-up like India. The airline uses such sessions to ensure co-pilots develop the mental strength to question any deviation from the stated procedures by his senior commander, so that safety is ensured.

Also, unlike in the US, where there are hundreds of thousands of pilots, the fraternity in India is still very small and well knit, say airlines. So air carriers also undertake detailed background checks before recruiting pilots.

Many countries like the US, Canada and Australia have now allowed pilots to fly even if they take mild depressants, subject to some rules. They argue that this encourages them to come out in the open without the fear of being grounded. However, no such changes have been made to the DGCA rules in India. And, the jury is out on whether it really works.