The FAA would rather you self-medicate than to get properly diagnosed and treated?
That’s the story if you ask any American pilot, but especially poor Joseph Emerson, that off-duty pilot who tried to take Horizon Flight 2059 down the other day, from his unique position in the cockpit jump seat.
To be fair, Joseph thought he was having a nightmare, and that taking this drastic action would wake himself up. He knew he needed a jolt back to reality. As a flight instructor himself, he tried to put the plane in emergency mode, to cut both engines and starve them of fuel with a swift move on the dashboard. Luckily, both pilots who were on-duty prevented Joe’s maneuver and told the flight attendants to get this guy out of the cockpit.
Joseph went willingly, and actually asked to be cuffed with zip ties that crew keep on hand for unruly situations. He noticed that the passengers, sitting orderly in the rows as he was escorted to the back of the plane were oblivious to the kerfuffle he’d just caused in the cockpit, and he then felt even more derealization; like his nightmare was just continuing. He then proceeded to chug hot black coffee straight from the pot when he was in the flight attendant’s galley until it was taken from him, by the attendant. He also reportedly tried to open the door of the plane, again, to end his nightmare, and again, he was easily thwarted by crew, without much resistance. When the plane landed, ten Portland Police Officers filed on board to take him into custody. Note the plane was supposed to be going to San Francisco, but had to be re-routed to deal with this crisis. (A crisis that passengers were unaware of until beginning the early descent, yet some of them have since filed a lawsuit against the airline.)
“I’m not okay”
Joseph Emerson, an off-duty Horizon/Alaska Air Pilot Instructor, having a derealization event after eating magic mushrooms days earlier.
Last week’s Business Insider article about the extent that the FAA encourages pilots’ full disclosure of their medical conditions and medications goes into detail about how common an occurrence this type of incident could become. Yes, there is a stigma in America in general about seeking mental health care, and whether or not a person has a “diagnosable” condition is sometimes fraught with subjectivity anyway. But the difference between Psychiatry and Psychology – (something I’ve written about before on this blog) as a practice, could mean the difference between being grounded and being able to fly for these pilots. Not to mention public safety and pilots’ overall wellness being a priority, instead of efficiency and profits.
The decision to come forward about mental illness, LoRusso said, “has so many different ripples.”
Joe LoRusso, an aviation attorney who represents pilots who have had their medical certifications denied – From Business Insider Article Nov 4, 2023
This uniquely American over-identification as ones’ occupation is something I also write about over on my blog WorkplaceWoes. Pilots feel stripped of their raison d’etre if they’re grounded, not to mention robbed of their paycheck. This is the result of a broken healthcare system in our country, (among other things like late stage capitalism) and I feel really sorry for poor Joseph Emerson, who is now facing 83 counts of attempted murder. These policies put forth with public safety in mind have far-reaching implications, and in my humble opinion, should be revisited, with pilot well-being at the forefront. Easier said than done, I know.
Special thank you for the cover cockpit photo by Chris Leipelt on Unsplash