Cessna missing off Byron
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Location: Sydney NSW Australia
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its good to see the cultural norm of stigmatising suicide continue on, lets not talk about it, blah blah, why not? its this hiding the truth under the carpet that has created this atmosphere where people feel they cannot talk about, therefor believing they cannot get help and there is something inherently wrong with them that society must shun them.. and hence, we continue to see the tragic results. you do realise that suicide is now the BIGGEST killer of people aged between 22 and 40.. and 1.9% off ALL deaths in Australia are now suicides? (Lifeline.org.au) with stat like these, why are we not talking about it? Part of it might be self imposed, when someone asks how was your weekend? almost everyone, to friends, family, work mates, will say "it was good" when in reality, it might have been crap. why are we afraid to say, when asked the same question,"my weekend was ****e, feeling crap, depressed, no idea why..." why do we all feel the need, or scared to admit the truth? not only of ourselves, but as a society? why are we scared to talk about the possibility of suicide being a cause of a tragic death, that could possibly have been avoided, if simply, we spoke of it more?
There are many support services for airline pilots. Through unions, the company or even your peers.
Here is the final report:
https://www.bea.aero/uploads/tx_elyd...0125.en-LR.pdf
On the broader topic of causes and intervention in Australia there seems to be a mounting concern in some states at a community level to come to grips with the problem. Rural suicides . . . many not reported as such . .. are coming under the spotlight. (Giving more doctors in general practice the option of participating in courses and training would not necessarily effect a marked improvement. It is a lengthy and involved specialist process to identify and treat depression in its many guises.)
Here is a well reasoned article from Flight Global pointing out the difficulties faced by those who are suffering from depression or from some other mental health problems:-
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar...mental-423276/
Peer support is very important, we must support one another. Sadly the way society is evolving these days, it's very easy for some people to fall out of step (usually due to no fault of their own) in life.
One thing that frustrates me sometimes as being a pilot, is that in most cases my good friends who I meet along the way are generally only temporary (in terms of spending time together), as pilots are always generally moving from one location/job to another on a regular basis. The moves can be locally, or to the other side of the world at very short notice.
One thing that frustrates me sometimes as being a pilot, is that in most cases my good friends who I meet along the way are generally only temporary (in terms of spending time together), as pilots are always generally moving from one location/job to another on a regular basis. The moves can be locally, or to the other side of the world at very short notice.
I don't know why people mention Germanwings as suicide. It was mass murder. Plain and simple.
Suicide is killing yourself. Murder is taking others with you.
It's in the same league as misguided religious fanatics killing others for their cause.
Suicide is killing yourself. Murder is taking others with you.
It's in the same league as misguided religious fanatics killing others for their cause.
S word? So armchair experts here have concluded that no medical, nor possible massive heart attack situation has occurred, nor massive structural failure occurred. Wrap it up folks. What an awesome bunch of 'fellow' aviators who know everything it seems. RIP mate. God Speed.
Ultralights
I thought the reluctance to report suicides as such, these days, is due to the concern about triggering copycats, particularly among the peer group.
The social stigma driven by religious belief is no longer relevant.
But we have certainly seen examples in some remote communities where a youth suicide will be followed by several more in short order.
I thought the reluctance to report suicides as such, these days, is due to the concern about triggering copycats, particularly among the peer group.
The social stigma driven by religious belief is no longer relevant.
But we have certainly seen examples in some remote communities where a youth suicide will be followed by several more in short order.
Goblin, the Germanwings pilot had considerable mental health issues so it is entirely relevant to the discussion. I agree, he murdered a plane full of people but mental health issues don't fit into neat boxes and manifest in many different ways.
For instance my wife suffers psychotic episodes every few years and she exhibits exactly the same sort of thinking as the woman in this tragic story, except her behaviour is very fortunately only bizarre but not dangerous. They believe all sorts of weird things, and to them it is utterly real.
Why my friend who killed her two-year-old daughter isn't an isolated case
For instance my wife suffers psychotic episodes every few years and she exhibits exactly the same sort of thinking as the woman in this tragic story, except her behaviour is very fortunately only bizarre but not dangerous. They believe all sorts of weird things, and to them it is utterly real.
Why my friend who killed her two-year-old daughter isn't an isolated case
Obviously the authorities have information to suggest this event was possibly related to mental health issues.
Not long before the Germanwings accident, I raised the mental health topic within pilots to a few work colleagues (I won't state who I was working for at the time). The response was, ahh the company's SMS will pick the issue up in conjunction with HF/NTS. I also raised the question again, this time in writing to a broader group of work colleagues after the Germanwings accident, what response did I get? nil, zilch.
This issue is a real threat to aviation, as the negative effects of this terrible illness can potentially have very widespread effects on a large amount of people.
Regardless off what the root cause of this accident was, mental health within aviation must be addressed a lot better than it currently is.
Not long before the Germanwings accident, I raised the mental health topic within pilots to a few work colleagues (I won't state who I was working for at the time). The response was, ahh the company's SMS will pick the issue up in conjunction with HF/NTS. I also raised the question again, this time in writing to a broader group of work colleagues after the Germanwings accident, what response did I get? nil, zilch.
This issue is a real threat to aviation, as the negative effects of this terrible illness can potentially have very widespread effects on a large amount of people.
Regardless off what the root cause of this accident was, mental health within aviation must be addressed a lot better than it currently is.
Thread Starter
Looks as though the spin doctors need to go back to PR 101 class.... How on earth do they think this sort of thing can be brushed under the carpet - the appearance of trying to hide something just adds oxygen to the media fire.
All the same, what a bloody awful, tragic mess for everyone concerned.
No Cookies | Gold Coast Bulletin
All the same, what a bloody awful, tragic mess for everyone concerned.
No Cookies | Gold Coast Bulletin
It is far too simplistic to say as many have over the years in so many cases -
"You bastard . .. you selfish bastard" ((Heard those words on an ABC radio play many years ago . . quite haunting)
March 24, 2016 | by The Echo
Qantas pilot’s suicide crash off Byron: report
It is believed Qantas pilot Paul Whyte deliberately crashed his light plane into the sea off Byron Bay this week. Photo supplied to News Corporation
A Lennox Head based Qantas pilot is believed to have deliberately crashed a light plane into the ocean off Byron Bay, Sydney media has reported.
The pilot had been flying passenger jets shortly before his death.
The report in the Daily Telegraph says that pilot Paul Whyte had been struggling with a broken marriage and rented a plane from a Lismore flying club before making a final phone call to his daughters.
He disappeared into the ocean six nautical miles off Byron Bay.
The search for the Cessna 172 off the north coast was called off at noon yesterday by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
The last known radar contact made with the plane was at around 4.50pm on Tuesday while the plane flew over water, 11km north east of Cape Byron,
Police Marine Area Command are still looking for debris
The Daily Telegraph report said that Qantas initially refused to confirm Mr Whyte worked for the airline but later admitted he was an employee.
"You bastard . .. you selfish bastard" ((Heard those words on an ABC radio play many years ago . . quite haunting)
March 24, 2016 | by The Echo
Qantas pilot’s suicide crash off Byron: report
It is believed Qantas pilot Paul Whyte deliberately crashed his light plane into the sea off Byron Bay this week. Photo supplied to News CorporationA Lennox Head based Qantas pilot is believed to have deliberately crashed a light plane into the ocean off Byron Bay, Sydney media has reported.
The pilot had been flying passenger jets shortly before his death.
The report in the Daily Telegraph says that pilot Paul Whyte had been struggling with a broken marriage and rented a plane from a Lismore flying club before making a final phone call to his daughters.
He disappeared into the ocean six nautical miles off Byron Bay.
The search for the Cessna 172 off the north coast was called off at noon yesterday by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
The last known radar contact made with the plane was at around 4.50pm on Tuesday while the plane flew over water, 11km north east of Cape Byron,
Police Marine Area Command are still looking for debris
The Daily Telegraph report said that Qantas initially refused to confirm Mr Whyte worked for the airline but later admitted he was an employee.
Suicide is killing yourself. Murder is taking others with you.
She stated that when she was in the frame of mind to suicide, she was so disconnected from reality that she was not cognisant of others. Fortunately we can't relate to this. Her sympathy towards that pilot was enlightening; an attitude that hadn't occurred to me.
Sadly this kind of thing will become more common in the future. With talk of psychological testing and the requirement that a pilots private medical records should be available to CASA will just make it much more likely for an individual to 'hide' any symptoms of depression.
Sympathies to the family, such a waste. What a shame that such a meal has been made of the coverage giving the appearance that Qantas tried to cover this up.
Sympathies to the family, such a waste. What a shame that such a meal has been made of the coverage giving the appearance that Qantas tried to cover this up.
Last edited by Ollie Onion; 24th Mar 2016 at 03:29. Reason: Spelling error
Regardless off what the root cause of this accident was, mental health within aviation must be addressed a lot better than it currently is
Sadly this kind of thing will become more common in the future
Mods, can we please have this moved to the A, NZ & pacific forum? This is clearly not a GA issue anymore.
Sad day for us all.
Sad day for us all.
Aussie Bob,
My comment was not meant to imply that more pilots would crash aircraft, merely that with the pressures of now risking losing your job if you talk to your GP about mental health issues there may be a temptation for more pilots to ignore depression. This in turn could actually lead to a bigger problem with pilot mental illness, the exact opposite to what these proposed rules are meant to address.
My comment was not meant to imply that more pilots would crash aircraft, merely that with the pressures of now risking losing your job if you talk to your GP about mental health issues there may be a temptation for more pilots to ignore depression. This in turn could actually lead to a bigger problem with pilot mental illness, the exact opposite to what these proposed rules are meant to address.