FAA launches committee examining mental health rules for pilots
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The Federal Aviation Administration has announced a new committee focused on mental health issues within the aviation industry -- specifically those faced by pilots.
The official name of this new group is the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Rulemaking Committee, also known as ARC. It will recommend ways to break down barriers that prevent pilots from trying to find care and support for mental health challenges.
This same group will also consider issues faced by FAA air traffic controllers, and recommendations are expected to be released by next March.
This was announced only a day before a National Transportation Safety Board summit which is focused on stigma around mental health challenges faced by pilots. It comes a little over a month since an off-duty pilot was charged for trying to crash a plane in mid-air from the cockpit. The suspect, 44-year-old Captain Joseph Emerson, claimed he had not slept in days, used mushrooms -- and had been depressed for an extended period of time.
In the announcement yesterday, the FAA said it would soon name the aviation and medical experts who will serve on the ARC, and what specific issues they will focus on.
In FAA documents connected to this announcement, officials explained that the Administration has been working on evaluations for pilot mental health.
The ARC committee which was created back then provided insight and recommendations to pilot medical fitness -- eventually leading to refresher seminars and Pilot Peer Support programs.
Earlier this year, the DOT Office of Inspector General put out a report on pilot mental health -- which lead to more focus on aviation psychology and evaluating pilot mentality. However, rules within the FAA led to pilots being reluctant to try and get help, or report their mental struggles.
"Addressing these barriers is critical for the FAA to mitigate potential aviation safety risks," a U.S. DOT FAA Aviation Rulemaking Committee Charter states. "The same concerns apply to medical clearances for FAA air traffic controllers because the same disclosure issues exist with those personnel and
can impact safety."
The ARC hopes that this Mental Health committee will provide a forum for industry experts to discuss these concerns, according to the charter. Tasks for the group include identifying factors stopping mental health reporting; developing steps to lower safety issues between disclosure of a mental issue and a final decision by the FAA and defining best practices.
In the charter, officials note that the Mental Health committee's meetings are not open to the public, but can be attended with approval.
Avery Martinez covers mental health in the Borderland as part of ABC-7’s Be Mindful initiative. He is also a Report for America corps member. RFA places talented, emerging journalists in newsrooms like ABC-7’s to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up.
