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Virgin Australia mental health/insurance issues

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Virgin Australia mental health/insurance issues

Old 1st Sep 2020, 12:06
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Originally Posted by josephfeatherweight
But for all we know, as per the suggestion above and completely hypothetical, the AME potentially consulted with a CASA AVMED pysch (shifting the responsibility), to enable the overrule - yeah?
This is all speculation, of course.
I could see hypothetical scenarios occurring where a doctor may receive a report from a specialist. Then for whatever reason, may potentially disagree with the specialist report/opinion but in order to achieve the desired outcome decides to write another report that summarizes/frames the specialist report in such a way as to ensure that a desired outcome is obtained.


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Old 1st Sep 2020, 14:14
  #42 (permalink)  
 
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I respectfully suggest that this is a major safety issue. If pilots cannot avail themselves of effective and reasonable remedies for mental health issues, including leaving the industry with a payout,, then isn’t there a danger they may not self report? Doesn’t that set Virgin up for a Germanwings type tragedy? Especially in what could be a very demanding post covid world? Who wants to fly with a pilot who isn’t happy but can’t leave?
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Old 1st Sep 2020, 20:16
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Originally Posted by Sunfish
I respectfully suggest that this is a major safety issue. If pilots cannot avail themselves of effective and reasonable remedies for mental health issues, including leaving the industry with a payout,, then isn’t there a danger they may not self report? Doesn’t that set Virgin up for a Germanwings type tragedy? Especially in what could be a very demanding post covid world? Who wants to fly with a pilot who isn’t happy but can’t leave?
Not just Virgin Sunfish, every airline/charter organisation. From memory there were changes a few years ago regarding what Loss of Licence did and did not cover, particularly in the mental health area.
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Old 1st Sep 2020, 21:47
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Originally Posted by Sunfish
I respectfully suggest that this is a major safety issue. If pilots cannot avail themselves of effective and reasonable remedies for mental health issues, including leaving the industry with a payout,, then isn’t there a danger they may not self report? Doesn’t that set Virgin up for a Germanwings type tragedy? Especially in what could be a very demanding post covid world? Who wants to fly with a pilot who isn’t happy but can’t leave?
On page 100 of the official final report in relation to Germanwings 9525 it states the following which I have copied below directly from the report:

4.3 Mitigation of the consequences of loss of licence The co-pilot was aware of the decrease in his own medical fitness and of the potential impact of his medication. However, he did not seek any advice from an AME, nor did he inform his employer. One of the explanations lays in the financial consequences he would have faced in case of the loss of his licence.

It then goes on to say:

Organisations, especially airlines, can reinforce self-declaration of a decrease in medical fitness of their staff, by acting on some of the consequences of unfitness, by offering motivating alternative positions and by limiting the financial consequences of a loss of licence, for example through extending loss of licence coverage.

I sometimes wonder how many people within CASA (especially AMEs/DAMEs/Av Med etc etc) even take the time to read and consider these reports carefully and make sure that any gap in current legislation is amended in order to make sure a situation like this can never happen in Australia! Is that not meant to be the job of the safety regulator? Or maybe I am just naive....

Last edited by mindsneak; 1st Sep 2020 at 21:48. Reason: Clarity / Flow / Spell Check - etc
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Old 1st Sep 2020, 22:03
  #45 (permalink)  
 
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I can not believe the low level of comprehension by some contributors.

Note:

1. Capt Boyd's wife suffered a nervous breakdown in 2016
2. Capt Boyd took leave without pay from Virgin in late 2016 in order to help care for his wife and has not flown since.
3. Capt Boyd repeatedly told Virgin Australia doctors - at six-monthly check-ups - from 2017 that he was suffering mental health problems and was unfit to fly.

Paul Scurrah is spineless for not attending to this matter after being appointed. I am not surprised to hear Tino La Spina is to replace Scurrah at the appropriate time.



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Old 2nd Sep 2020, 06:17
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Regardless of my private medical examiner's report, in 2002, the government decision maker altered my ATPL medical assessment from fail to pass. So this more recent decision might not have been that of the Virgin company doctor.
Solicitor or barrister search for actual decision maker records might save a lot of legal costs?
P.M. if desired.
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Old 2nd Sep 2020, 06:46
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I am not surprised to hear Tino La Spina is to replace Scurrah at the appropriate time.
Where did that one come from?!?
Just what we need, another Ex-QANTAS castoff!
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