Instances of Instability Worrying to Flying Public

The National Transportation Safety Board has announced its first in-person roundtable discussion regarding mental health concerns in the aviation community.

Recent high-profile instances of mentally frayed individuals improperly handling aircraft have piqued bureaucratic interest in recent months, and now the government engine will be slowly brought to bear on the mental health issue as a whole.

"The summit," the announcement says, "will bring together safety experts from the aviation industry, academia, the mental health profession, and government to examine the unintended consequences of the current system for evaluating mental fitness in the aviation workforce, and to explore ways the U.S. can modernize its approach to mental health while managing risk in the national airspace."

“Everyone should feel safe speaking up, getting the mental health care they need, regardless of their profession. Aviation should be no different, and yet it is different,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “Current federal rules incentivize people to either lie about their needs or avoid seeking help in the first place — and that’s not safe for anyone.”

The summit will be hosted on December 6, 2023 at the NTSB Boardroom and Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC from 0930 to 1630.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov