ABSTRACT
In March 2015, mental health issues among pilots became headline news when a pilot, who was later identified as having significant psychological difficulties, deliberately flew a passenger aircraft on a commercial flight into the ground killing all on board. Worldwide, the airlines and their regulators acknowledge that psychological problems within the pilot population are a potential threat to safety. Well below the severity level at which we might hypothesise about pilot suicide, psychological distress and mental health issues can cause a significant impairment to pilot performance and therefore flight safety. Psychiatric disorders are not uncommon among the general population but are frequently under recognised. Severe psychological disturbance among pilots is rare but, nonetheless, they may suffer from a range of psychological difficulties just like anyone in any other occupational group.
