US Aviation Agency to Study Pilots’ Mental Health Following Crashes Abroad

US authorities will examine the mental health of commercial aviators following airplane crashes in Europe and Asia suspected in part on the pilots’ emotional states, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement on Wednesday.

NEW YORK (Sputnik) — The FAA recommended conducting a study following the recent crashes of Malaysia Flight 370 somewhere in the Indian Ocean in March 2013, and Germanwings Flight 9525 in the French Alps in March 2015.

A rope hangs from a rescue helicopter flying past debris of the Germanwings passenger jet, scattered on the mountainside, near Seyne les Alpes, French Alps

© AP Photo / Claude Paris

“The FAA is working with the commercial aviation and medical communities to study the emotional and mental health of US commercial pilots,” the statement read.

According to data from the plane’s black boxes, the Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed the plane after locking the pilot out of the cockpit.

The Pilot Fitness Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), formed by the FAA two months after the Germanwings crash, will analyze the findings of the study and will provide recommendations within six months.

Based on the received recommendations, the FAA may consider changing policies and procedures regarding pilot training and testing, but also pilot medical requirements as well as cockpit and aircraft design, according to the statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration is the US national aviation authority whose mission is to provide the safest and most efficient aerospace system, according to the agency’s website.