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Dallas • The case of the JetBlue captain who came unglued at 35,000 feet has focused attention on what some aviation experts say is a flimsy system for detecting psychological problems in pilots.
During required checkups every six months or one year, airline pilots are subjected to a battery of physical tests, but the doctor usually doesn't ask about their mental state, experts and pilots say. And many pilots would probably hesitate to tell the truth, for fear it would be a career-ender.
"It's very clear to every pilot that the moment you say yes, you've had an issue, they're going to deny your license," said John Gadzinski, a captain for a major airline and an aviation consultant.
Still, there appears to be little interest in beefing up the examinations because mental breakdowns in the cockpit are extremely rare.
"Of the tens of thousands of employees [airlines] have, there are a couple that lost it," said Robert Francis, a former vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "That's hardly enough evidence to lead to new regulations."
On Tuesday, Clayton Osbon, the 49-year-old captain of a New York-to-Las Vegas flight, started ranting about a bomb aboard and screamed, "They're going to take us down!" A co-pilot locked him out of the cockpit and guided the plane to an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas, as passengers wrestled Osbon to the floor. He was carried off the plane and taken to a hospital. JetBlue said he suffered a "medical situation."
Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration strongly encourage pilots to assert themselves if they think safety is being jeopardized, even if it means going against a captain's orders. Safety experts have studied several cases where pilots deferred to more experienced captains with tragic results.
The FAA requires all airline pilots to pass a medical exam at least once a year — every six months if they're older than 40, like Osbon. The medical tests are given by FAA-approved doctors who are supposed to consider psychological health in evaluating pilots. Also, the pilot's application for a certificate — his license to fly — asks whether the pilot has mental disorders or substance-abuse problems or has attempted to commit suicide.
In 2011, 1.5 percent of all pilots tested failed their physical. That figure includes cargo and private pilots, not just airline employees.
Treatment for mental illness does not necessarily end a pilot's career. In 2010, the FAA decided that pilots treated for mild to moderate depression could return to flying if they improved with treatment and remained stable for at least a year.
Many pilots say that the doctors often skim over the psychological questions.
"I've never had a psychological part of the exam," Gadzinski said. Another captain for a major airline said his own doctor keeps two files — one with accurate records, another for the FAA.
Merely asking a pilot about his mental health isn't a very effective technique for predicting whether he might have a breakdown during a flight, said Richard Bloom, who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology.
"It's too easy to answer," Bloom said.