A Case Study of Germanwings Crash Accident (Case Study Sample)

A Case Study of Germanwings Crash Accident Name of Student Institutional Affiliation Outline Abstract This section provides a summary of mental illness occurrence among the crew members in the context of the aviation industry, focusing primarily on the effected pilots performance. The issue is illustrated on the bases of the Germanwings airline case study . Introduction The introductory chapter of the essay serves to present details on the various tenets of the paper. It provides an estimate of the Germanwings airline incident and the paper discussion subjects. Thus, it informs the reader of the issues discussed in the subsequent paragraphs. Main Body This section entails two major parts of the essay. The first part provides the information on the current situation in aviation industry to identify pilots with mental health issues. In the event, it uncovers various mental health literature is focusing on the existing measures used to document mental health signals. Second, the succeeding paragraphs offer holistic recommendations for future improvements of mental health of pilots. The points highlighted here serves to act as major turning points that will guarantee the safety of pilots, passengers, and crew members in flight. Conclusion This section summarizes the major points discussed in the paper in a rather an all-inclusive approach. It recaps on the Germanwings crash and the possible learning points for aviation regulators and authorities concerning the need to ensure mental health safety in the industry. Abstract Mental illness among pilots severely affects aviation sector. Apparently, mental health in aviation has become a key concern among the regulators, airline employees, and passengers. In the present times, this subject has gained significant attention, especially with the crash of the Germanwings airline in March 2015. Even though investigators have reported plentiful causes of an airline crash, as of present, there is increasing awareness of ensuring pilots’ mental hygiene. Little literature exists within the field of mental health as related to the aviation industry, nonetheless, procedures to offer pertinent information as well as solutions are in progress. The differences in cultur make it challenging to detail an all-inclusive description of mental health, yet experts agree about the fact that it is much beyond the absence of mental disorders. Mental disorders result from increased workloads among pilots and suicidal thoughts related to family issues. Second to cardiovascular disease, mental health disorders are an adequate ground for losing a pilot license. Thus, most pilots under medication over mental problems such as depression withhold this information from their colleagues and physicians in fear of losing their license. The present study focuses on gathering preliminary literature on the link between mental health problems and pilot job performance in a bid to examine the current situation of the issue and provide a corresponding suggestion for future improvements. Key words: aviation, mental issues, pilots, Germanwings aircrash. A Case Study of Germanwings Crash Accident Mental health constitutes one of the key pillars for ensuring sustainable development in human needs. Scholars have termed the concept of mental health to entail ideas of inner feelings of comfort, self-dependence, inter-generation dependence, affordability, and self-development of prospective intellectual aptitudes. The job of a pilot, similar to any other profession, presents a significant relationship with the symptoms of psychological problems. To that extent, identifying and preventing mental problems among pilots can improve the mental hygiene of an individual as well as their services offered. Most airline pilots have experienced an above average ability to compartmentalize individual challenges. Job-related mental problems form part of every profession, but sometimes in the training of an airline pilot’s career, stress concerns may manifest as depression. Airline pilots remain at the center of the discourse with the increasing concern of chronic medical conditions of the cognition. The fateful crash of the GermanWings Flight 9525 into an Alpine mountain that led to the death of all the 150 passengers on board has raised questions concerning the mental state of the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz. Existing reports from the authorities maintain that the 27-year-old German deliberately sought after destroying the Airbus A320 as it flew from Barcelona to Dusseldorf. In recognition of the above case in point, this paper provides a turnaround analysis of the mental health among pilots, highlighting the present situation of identifying pilot’s psychological health and possible intervention approaches to ensure mental health safety among aviation crewmembers. The History of Germanwings Accident The crash of the GermanWings Flight GWI9525 in the French Alpines in the morning on March 24, 2015 made shocking headlines in the mainstream world media. The Germanwings Flight 9525 was flying from Barcelona to Düsseldorf when the accident occurred, killing all 150 passengers. Immediately after the crash of the plane, reports began to spread highlighting another incident of a plane accident. Accounts of the crash of the plane have since settled on the mental issues the flight’s co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, presented, a factor that made him direct the plane into the mountains on the determination. A detailed review of the facts indicate that at the flight 9525 was an Airbus A320 that departed from Barcelona-El Prat Airport at approximately 09:01 UTC and was to land at Düsseldorf Airport in Germany roughly an hour and a half later. However, the plane disappeared from the radars at around 09:30 UTC with 144 passengers and six members of the crew. According to Glum (2015), the plane’s captain, Patrick Sondenheimer, had more than 6,000 hours of flying time. The pilot left the cockpit to use the restroom and when he returned, he found himself locked out. The reports from the German air crash investigation institutions that reviewed the audio recording of the crash indicate that Sondenheimer attempted to force his way in, shouting for the co-pilot, Lubitz, who was at this time alone in the cockpit. Investigators resolved that Lubitz crashed the plane consequently on purpose, which was mainly attributed to the medical history of depression. Besides that, the co-pilot experienced vision issues that could lead to the loss of his job, and his physician had prescribed antidepressants. Earlier, at least in the New York Daily News, it was stated that Lubitz had researched procedures of killing himself and frequently practiced dropping altitude (Faiola & Birnbaum, 2015). Since then, the Lufthansa has revised its policies to ensure that at least two crewmembers are always present at the flight desk. Investigators further recommended loosening of the privacy regulations restricting physicians from reporting suspiciously behaving pilots to the airline or law enforcement authorities. The Current Situation to Identify Pilots with Mental Health Issues Pilots play a crucial role in aviation and are responsible for establishing and maintaining flight safety and security of crewmembers and passengers. This statement applies to different goals of the aviation industry, including service requirements, professional pilots, and transformation of service delivery in the sector. To that extent, mental disorder presents clinical significance DSM-IV-TR, which postulates for the period for every disruption, after which symptoms appear for diagnosis (Ahmadi & Alireza, 2007). The concept of fluctuating mood, occasional bizarre behavior, or feelings of confusion and instability may not constitute major forms of mental disorders upon diagnosis. Considering the fact, that piloting job is highly demanding and stressful, mental health personnel consider it necessary for the members of the crew to undergo a psychological examination as a way of ensuring they perform administrative roles and family connections (Salimi, Marzaabadi & Abedi, 2013). Research findings examining the levels of stress among pilots signify that flying planes far from home and perilous behaviors represent a risk for mental health of pilots and the rest of the crew. In a study that examined military pilots, depression, anxiety, and insomnia are some of the mental health challenges affecting crewmembers in the service. According to Moslemi et al. (2014), most of the mental impairment problems result from the progressive complexity, social relations, and societal changes within the aviation profession. In light of this, it is significant to ensure pilots are adapted to cultural and lifestyle changes, which will allow them to confront their problems and demands of routine life. Findings based on scientific investigations highlight that mental health needs is one of the important issues in today’s professional life to ensuring an individual proves self-to be understanding and mentally healthy. What is more, the airline requires that pilots applying for job must show no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of the mental or behavioral disorder, organic mental disorder, schizophrenia, a stress-related, neurotic, or somatoform disorder. In the event, the aviation has adopted the clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines of defining mental and behavioral disorders as documented with the World Health Organization. Referring to the Germanwings 9525 incident, it remains unclear how the officials identified and monitored pilot’s mental health. As investigations revealed that Lubitz locked the pilot out of cockpit, all fingers are pointing at the ...