you mean there are human beings at the pointy end of the plane and that they can suffer from mental illness (stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD etc..) how can that even be possible?! surely these pilots are infallible demi-gods?! and that folks is what is wrong with our industry and regulators the world over. A total failure to recognise the weakness of the human condition and to accept that pilots are just as likley to suffer from the same mental health issues as the general populus (1:3 get depression and or other mental illnesses). Pilots under pressure not to put the hand up and get the help they need due to Company pressure (loss of job) or Regulator pressure (loss of licence/medical) so they either seek private help below the radar and keep it hidden or soldier on without help and have a total meltdown or drive it into the ground. There are some good, caring companies and some good regulators that are being proactive in this area but the balance is far too much towards the other end and its very worrying. Before anyone beats me up, I'm just stating some facts here - it's a very complex and emotive issue and I don't really know what the solution is but the status quo is a 'swamp' which is a breeding ground for these types of incidents to continue. The fact is, and anyone who has held a medical certificate on this thread knows, it is very easy to hide these kinds of problems from an AME and with an unforgiving industry and regulatory environment, where loss of licence and career is likely, there is a great incentive to do so. We don't need 'loonies' up front that can potentially crash an aircraft and kill all on board but at the same time, we need an industry and regulatory environment that can have a 'grown-up' discussion and come up with some real solutions to these problems.....