Airline employees have mid-air meltdowns; what’s causing it?

Airline employees have mid-air meltdowns; what's causing it?

DETROIT -

Flying is more stressful than ever and not just for passengers.

Pilots are being put to the test and, as the country just witnessed with the JetBlue captain, some can’t handle the pressure.

Can pilots handle the pressure? What really happened in that JetBlue cockpit?

Cellphone cameras captured the tense scene in the sky. Passengers onboard the JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas restrained the captain, Clayton Osbon, who apparently had a major meltdown midflight.

Watch: Video from JetBlue flight

Osbon had been flying JetBlue for 12 years. He never had any problems in the air. Then, on Tuesday, he appeared to have what many described as a total breakdown. His erratic behavior started in the cockpit and played out in the cabin. He was foaming at the mouth as he was taken away on a stretcher and sent to a hospital.

What happened on that JetBlue flight has passengers flying out of Detroit Metro Airport talking. Most believe their pilot will be poised to handle pressure, but this incident makes some think twice.

It’s no surprise that flying can be stressful. In fact, airline pilot ranks as the 3rd most stressful white color job.

The Federal Aviation Administration has stepped in working to control hours and flying conditions. This coming after a commuter flight went down in Buffalo in 2009. The pilots onboard that flight were not only inexperienced but also extremely fatigued. As far as bizarre incidents go, remember JetBlue flight attendant Stephen Slater? He opened the evacuation slide after getting into a confrontation with a passenger.

Moreover, an American Airlines flight attendant made headlines when she started screaming about 9/11 and telling passengers the plane was crashing.

John Cox is an aviation expert who says the crew and specifically the captain are under intense pressure.

“It’s staying ahead of the airplane. Ensuring that all the many details of a flight are done correctly and they’re done in a timely manner,” said Cox. “The more fatigued you are, the more difficult that becomes.”

It’s unclear if fatigue was one of the factors that played a role in Osbon’s episode. However, his flight schedule and hours logged are now being reviewed. So is his mental health.

Dr. Gerald Shiener is a clinical psychiatrist in Birmingham who says pilots and the crew experience stress on a different level than many.

“You’re sleep deprived. You’re lonely. You’re bored. There is nothing to do between flights and if you’re in a strange city you can’t enjoy the sights because you have to be up for work the next morning,” Shiener said. “That’s very, very stressful.”

Shiener said Captain Osbon appears to have suffered from a mental breakdown, not a panic attack, and his problems may have been detected if the FAA required regular psychological evaluations.

“We know that the stress of sleep deprivation and time zone shift can trigger psychiatric illnesses like depression, like bipolar disorder,” said Shiener.

Although the captain, and copilots, have limited contact with passengers before takeoff, passengers still should point out any potential problems he or she spots with any crew member.

“Ask one of the flight attendants, ask one of the other crew members, tell them what you’re seeing,” said Shiener.

The FAA and FBI are beginning a thorough investigation into the JetBlue incident and are now reviewing procedures in place to help crew members fight fatigue to make sure they are fit to fly.

What could have been done to spot Captain Osbon’s problems before the plane left the gate?

Right now, Osbon is undergoing psychological evaluation. Soon, he may find himself in a courtroom facing charges for disrupting the flight.

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