Jas, how do you know that I "have no fuggin' idea"? In the past my responsibilities included dealing with pilots who displayed various problems - from booze, to dope to belting their wives. In an expatriate situation with people living in a close community all of these behaviours pose difficulties for a Chief Pilot tasked variously with safety, standards, pilot discipline and general aircrew welfare.
While we did our best to be compassionate, and after a first offence did usually offer them time out to resolve their issues, it was not our place as an employer to lay on rehabilitation services (not available in-country) or to provide an opportunity for them to re-offend within our company or community. We did refer one guy with a booze problem to a counselling service in his home country, but he never attended. So, we terminated his employment. And when another did a Jeremy Clarkson, he was on the next flight out - for his own protection in a culture where revenge was commonplace.
Having seen them off, did we then have a responsibility to track them in their future aviation careers? I think not, and indeed to attempt to do so would probably be highly illegal. One of our former pilots went on to commit suicide some time after he left us; another had an accident which totalled the airframe, fortunately with no serious injuries. Could we have somehow contributed to either of these events which occurred several years later? We knew one had a drinking problem and the other had anger issues, that was all. We had no idea the suicidal guy was also into hard drugs. Except for going on an occasional bender, he seemed so 'normal' - lovely wife, great flying skills, handsome, funny - the epitome of a pilot.
Now we are more aware of the 'black dog' and know that it is more common than we realised in the past. But, say a pilot confides to his shrink that he is depressed to the point of being suicidal. Can the shrink - should the shrink - report it to the authorities in order to have the pilot grounded pending treatment? Patient-doctor confidentiality protocols probably say not. In some countries if someone has a serious STD, it is a mandatory report. In the same countries, mental issues are not likely to go beyond the consulting room. Unless it is a pilot disclosing to his aviation examiner, and that is unlikely, given the possible repercussions once the regulator becomes involved. In any case, a mental problem does not of itself always lead to criminal acts. In fact most people with mental illness are still very law abiding - fortunately!
But mentally disturbed or not, if adults commit violent crimes, they ARE responsible! Who else? The only other people sometimes jointly responsible are the judiciary and parole boards who turn serial offenders loose on the rest of us. Don't get me started on how I would like to see some of those do gooders held accountable.....But that is a separate issue to the one being debated here.
How could the CEO of an airline employing thousands of people be expected to know that one pilot was planning a mass murder, if even the guy's shrink did not pick it?
Last edited by Mach E Avelli; 2nd Apr 2015 at 07:25.