Months After Fatal Crash With No Mechanical Cause, Psychological Causes Seen As Possibility

UND began an aviation themed mental health summit in response to the October crash of one of their school's commercial aviation students, John Hauser, a sophomore working through his commercial rating. His parents reportedly told the school that he had a history of mental health issues after the NTSB found no mechanical cause to his fatal crash. 

The summit brought UND administrators with representatives from several other colleges with flight training programs, the FAA, ALPA, and more. UND aerospace students were allowed to electronically and remotely audit the summit online and at the student union. UND Dean Robert Kraus said they took a goal-oriented approach to the gathering. “We're trying not just having a bunch of people get together and talk,” Kraus said. “We do want solutions. What's the low hanging fruit, what are the things that we can implement soon?” 

Kraus would like to bring on additional counselors to UND, especially ones colocated with the aerospace college, believing they would be more accessible and effective in closer proximity to their charges. The counselor would require Human Intervention Motivation Study, he said, describing the specialists as "the doctors and therapists that get involved when there is substance abuse or alcohol abuse, or mental health treatment." He also floated a peer-mentorship program, with the idea of getting students to work with one another in a buddy system. He believes some courses could be offered, including a mental health first aid course he attended with local Altru Hospital. 

A primary concern, he believes, is the stigma associated with seeking help for aviation students. College students trade horror stories, and the worst outcomes of confiding personal problems to a mandated reporter make the rounds quickly. For those seeking a demanding career in commercial aviation, health records could quickly ax their entire career, if not create tremendous delays in their timeline to develop seniority.

Fear of being grounded, reportedly, stands out not as help in addressing unhealthy conditions, but as a mandatory "timeout" that would see them taken out of their flight training for an unspecified amount of time as they subject themselves to the whims of medical professionals. 

FMI: www.und.edu