Flight to London makes emergency landing after co-pilot suffers mental breakdown

Last updated at 09:52am on 30.01.08

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The co-pilot of a Heathrow-bound plane had to be forcibly removed from the cockpit after suffering a mental breakdown while in control of the flight.

He began yelling, crying and "invoking God" as the Air Canada 767 flew over the Atlantic. He was held down by other crew members and a passenger who was a member of the Canadian armed forces.

The co-pilot then had restraints fastened to his wrists and ankles and was handcuffed to a seat.

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The flight from Toronto was forced to make an emergency landing in Shannon and the copilot was taken off the plane.

He was taken by ambulance to a psychiatric ward.

The 146 passengers on the Sunday overnight flight continued their journey and got to Heathrow eight hours later.

"At no time was safety compromised," said Air Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur.

Passenger Sean Finucane said today that the co-pilot "just wanted to talk to God," adding: "He was yelling loudly but didn't sound intoxicated."

Mr Finucane said: "When they tried to put his shoes on later he swore and threatened people. He was very, very distressed."

Most air-safety authorities around the world ban pilots from flying while on antidepressant drugs citing safety reasons. Now the results of an Australian study suggests that taking the drugs does not increase the risk of accidents, while banning them could increase risks by encouraging depressed pilots not to seek treatment.

A team led by aviation medicine specialist James Ross, who ran the study while a consultant at Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), scrutinised Australian pilot safety records spanning from 1993 to 2004.

Unlike most air safety authorities around the world, CASA allows Australian pilots to fly while on antidepressant drugs, under tightly controlled conditions.

For example, the pilot must have taken the drugs for at least a month before flying. This is to ensure that he or she is not suffering side-effects such as fatigue or nausea that could affect performance. Depressed pilots are also not allowed to fly if they have suicidal tendencies, pathological anger, or abnormal sleep patterns associated with the disorder.

General ban

Over the 12-year study period, 481 pilots who were prescribed antidepressants had 11 accidents due to pilot error and 22 near misses. The researchers say this was not significantly different to the five accidents and 26 near misses of the similar number of pilots who did not take antidepressants, but who were matched by age, sex, and flying experience.

The results will be presented by team member Kathy Griffiths of the Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University in Canberra today at the World Psychiatric Association annual congress in Melbourne, Australia.

Most aviation safety authorities, including the US Federal Aviation Authority, and the European Joint Aviation Authority, ban pilots from flying while on antidepressants because of concerns about the effect of treatment and the underlying depression on a pilot's performance.

That might not be wise, says Ross. He points out that the Australian study suggests that using antidepressants in a carefully managed, structured environment is safe, and that rules or regulations that encourage pilots not to seek treatment, or not to declare it, could backfire.

"Antidepressants can be prescribed for years, so that means you are asking people to give up their livelihoods, or leave their depression untreated," notes Griffiths.

Reluctant reporting

The Australian study also found that only 1% of pilots admitted to taking antidepressants, compared to 4.5% of Australians in the general population.

That suggests that even under the Australian rules, which allow pilots on antidepressants to continue flying, the increased scrutiny by CASA could encourage pilots to avoid seeking medical help or to keep it secret when they do.

US pilots taking medication for psychological conditions such as depression who were involved in fatal accidents had also rarely reported either the medication or their underlying condition to the FAA, according to two recent studies (see Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, vol 77, p 1171, and vol 78, p 1055, for the most recent).

"Many aviation doctors have maintained that the side effects of antidepressants present far less risk to aviation safety than the problem of untreated or undeclared depression. It's encouraging to see that the Australian evidence supports this," says David Powell of the Occupational and Aviation Medicine Unit at Otago University in Wellington, New Zealand.

"Depression is common and treatable, so surely the best way to manage it in aviation is to bring it out of hiding," he says.

http://www.chilkatvalleynews.com/archive/2002-28-2.html
Air Crash, pilot and 5 passengers killed: The National Transportation Safety Board reported Monday that traces of the antidepressant Paxil were found in blood and tissue samples taken from the body of 26-year-old Chad Beer after the July 30, 2001 crash near Davidson Glacier that killed Beer and five passengers.

http://www8.landings.com/cgi-bin/nph-nntsb_connect?pass=12345&file=nntsb_199908.dat&pos=579235
Air Crash, pilot killed:  Paroxetine (trade name Paxil), a prescription antidepressant that is also used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic attacks, was found in the urine and liver fluid. Diphenhydramine was also found in the urine and liver fluid. According to CAMI, insufficient blood was received to screen for the listed drugs.

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/en/reports/air/1996/a96o0153/a96o0153.asp?print_view=1
Air Crash, pilot test flight prior to taking passengers:  Also found in the pilot's blood was fluoxetrine (Prozac) of 0.025mg/100ml and a trace of chlorpheniramine (non-prescription antihistamine/decongestant).

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=News&id=1587156
Heli Crash, pilot:  May 13, 2004 (Mukwonago, Wisconsin) - A helicopter pilot had an anti-depressant and an amphetamine in his body when he crashed near in northwestern Illinois last summer.  The crash in Coleta on June 25th killed all three people on board.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=News&id=1587156
Thomas Berg had elevated levels of a generic version of Prozac. He also had an amphetamine in his system that is often used to treat hyperactivity...

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2004/jan/01/ndn_anti_depressants_may_have_had_role_in_plane_cr/
Air Crash, pilot and passenger killed: Investigators say a pilot's high dose of a prescription anti-depressant may have played a role in the fatal 2002 crash of his experimental airplane.  Scott Reviere's home-built RV-6A lost power and spiraled down shortly after taking off from Peter O. Knight Airport on Aug. 18, 2002. The aircraft crashed into the Port of Tampa dry docks and caught fire, killing Reviere and passenger John Malecki.

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20010522X00980&key=1
Air Crash, Pilot killed:  Toxicology test showed that venlafaxine and desmethylvenlafaxine drugs were found in the pilot's blood, and the levels found were consistent with the recent ingestion of more than 10 times a normal dose of venlafaxine

http://www.ssristories.com/show.php?item=2089
Air Crash, Pilot and 4 passengers killed:  A report released by the National Transportation and Safety Board regarding a plane crash that killed five people near Eagle last November indicates the pilot had drugs in his system. David Scripps LaDow and four passengers were killed when the plane LaDow was piloting crashed into a hillside 4 miles southeast of Eagle, minutes after takeoff from the Eagle County Regional Airport.The other victims were Sara Hiller, 37, of Eden Prairie, Minn., and her three daughters, Morgan, 15, Caitlin, 10, and Kelsie, 8.Deep-tissue samples taken by FAA pathologists revealed the pilot had fluoxetine (Prozac), an antidepressant, and hydrocodone, a pain killer, in his system.

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief2.asp?ev_id=20001211X10951&ntsbno=SEA98FA161&akey=1
Air Crash, Commerical Pilot (alone) Killed: former U.S. Air Force navigator and electronic warfare officer. He held a commercial pilot certificate... Desipramine is a prescription antidepressant, also commonly used for the management of chronic pain. Commercial drug reference sources indicate that caution should be exercised while piloting aircraft while under the influence of this drug.

http://www.mercola.com/2002/jan/23/accutane.htm
Air Crash, 15 year old boy killed:  Investigators found he was taking prescription Accutane (now associated with suicide).

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20020611X00849&key=1
Air Crash, sole pilot killed:  Findings in the investigation were the pilot's overdose of zolpidem and citalopram before the accident flight departed, and his intentional operation of the airplane while impaired by alcohol.

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/10036/
Air Crash, Pilot and 2 friends killed:  A toxicology report noted methamphetamine and amphetamine [ADHD treatment] was found in the pilot, and both passengers also tested positive for methamphetamine, the NTSB reported.

http://www.iflyamerica.org/accidentinfo.asp
An on-scene examination revealed no pre-impact anomalies. The Final Forensic Toxicology Accident Report stated, "Diphenhydramine present in Urine." Diphenhydramine  is an over-the-counter antihistamine with sedative effects, most commonly used to treat allergy symptoms. [See post above re antihistamines/antipsychotics]

http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2006/060926-usaf-amphetamines.htm
Crash Landing, B-1B Lancer,  $7.9 million damage, co pilot landing gear up, None killed:  Dexedrine, an amphetamine, may have been a factor in the May 8 crash in Southwest Asia because the copilot had not tried the drug before,The report said Flowers' neurological problem could have been exacerbated by taking a stimulant during the flight. Flowers had not been approved to take stimulants. He said in the report he took a pill, which is 5 milligrams, but did not say where he got it.  Both Dexedrine and Modafinil are prescribed by the Air Force for pilots to use during flights that are 12 hours or longer. Modafinil is a Schedule IV stimulant with significantly less abuse potential and more medical uses. It is commonly used to treat narcolepsy.   [Perhaps that explains "Friendly Fire"!]

 

PLUS "SUICIDE PILOTS"

http://www.faa.gov/library/reports/medical/oamtechreports/2000s/media/200605.pdf

Air Crash, 40 year old pilot killed:  These findings indicate that the pilot had used cocaine, diazepam, and ethanol within hours of his flight.

Air Crash, 42 year old student pilot killed:  Friends of the pilot revealed a history of “ongoing treatment for depression and a recent intent to take his own life by using an aircraft".

Air Crash, 54 year old pilot killed:  Toxicological examination revealed the antidepressant,venlafaxine,and its metabolite, desmethylvenlafaxine in the blood at 446 and 1462 ng/mL, respectively. These compounds were also identified in the pilot’s urine at 3018 and 34,102 ng/mL, respectively. Based on the drug concentration, the volume of distribution (6.8 L/kg) for venlafaxine, and the pilot’s weight, it appears that the pilot was taking the maximum therapeutic dose of 225 mg per day, which may be accompanied by significant side effects. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the accident to be pilot suicide.

"...Most of the “suicide” pilots had significant domestic criminal difficulties at the time of their suicide. The limited data presented here indicate that 50% (7 out of
14) of all aviation-assisted pilot suicides, for which toxicological specimens are available for analysis, involve at least one, if not more, disqualifying substances, and 43% (6 of the 14) had potentially cognitive impairing levels of such substances in their system..."