Horizon Air cockpit scare revives pilot mental health concerns

Joseph David Emerson, left, 44, was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Tues., Oct. 24, 2023, in Portland, Ore. Emerson, a pilot, is accused of attempting to disable the engines of a plane on which he was riding while off-duty last Sunday. Emerson pleaded not guilty Tuesday.

The pilot involved in Sunday’s incident, Joseph David Emerson, 44, of Pleasant Hill, remained in custody Wednesday in Portland, Oregon, where the flight he was taking was diverted after he allegedly attempted to shut down the jet’s engines. State authorities have charged Emerson with 83 counts each of attempted murder and reckless endangerment of others — one for each of the other people on the plane, including 11 children under age 14 — as well as endangering an aircraft. His next court hearing on those charges is Nov. 1. Federal authorities have charged Emerson with interference with a flight crew, for which he is scheduled for arraignment Thursday.

But the FAA also says it is “reducing the stigma of mental health to help pilots receive care.” The FAA said it “encourages pilots to seek help if they have a mental health condition since most, if treated, do not disqualify a pilot from flying.” that, in practice, the regulations bar pilots from the cockpit for months and sometimes years for mild anxiety or depression. He argued in the article that “We must rethink the system that drives pilots from attending to their mental health and change what seeking mental health care services means in aviation.”

“It’s on a case-by-case basis. It would depend on if the clinician believed the pilot could fly safely,” Lewis said. “The FAA is trying to be sensitive to mental health and the stress pilots go through. But with any governmental organization, the wheels turn slowly. I always think more things can be done in terms of mental health.

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