Depressed SA pilots need not fear

File photo: Srdjan Zivulovic

File photo: Srdjan Zivulovic

Published Mar 31, 2015

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Johannesburg - South African pilots aren’t afraid to lose their jobs if they suffer from depression.

The Airline Pilots Association of South Africa sent out a strong statement on Tuesday morning slamming local media coverage of the air crash in the French Alps which, it said, brought the pilot community in South Africa into disrepute.

Pilots here are encouraged to report stress and depression and receive appropriate treatment, said the chairman of the association Captain Marius Santos.

“To this end, pilots can also access advice from colleagues in a peer-to-peer group, specifically trained to provide assistance to fellow pilots in need of support.

“Generally, pilots undergo an initial psychometric evaluation during pre-employment screening.

“Pilots do not require a yearly psychiatric evaluation with their bi-annual or annual physical medical assessment,” he said.

Stress and depression are, however, focused on during these medical assessments.

All South African airlines, he said, and the SA Civil Aviation Authority, subscribed to a “just culture”, meaning pilots were not afraid to lose their jobs when they reported safety-related matters, including illnesses such as depression.

Aviation can be a stressful career, he said, due to things like irregular working hours.

”There are, in fact, a number of pilots who have successfully dealt with stress and depression and have returned to their chosen profession after prescribed treatment and time off,” he said.

Santos slammed French prosecutors for releasing the content of the cockpit voice recorder, which violated international aviation rules.

He said the release of the content of the black boxes was in contravention of the International Civil Aviation Organisation rules for accident and incident investigation.

The purpose of the black boxes was so that investigators could make recommendations to improve air safety.

“The release of this data is a violation of internationally-accepted rules and of the crews’ and their families’ right to privacy and dignity,” he said.

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