Easyjet FO anxiety attack
 

Any thoughts? I wonder what was the underlying issues that caused this FO to "freak out"...

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...id=mailsignout

Cue the debate about whether Cadets flying Airbuses straight out of flight school is good/safe.

Should probably consider a different career.

Could happen to anyone
 

Know of a captain who locked himself in the loo whilst the boys decided where they would divert to after FCO and surrounding airfields closed with fog. Only came out after he heard the gear come down.
Poor sod in this case obviously way out of comfort zone..maybe better training the answer or even three crew like the good old days

From the AAIB report::

I would post a link to the report (published yesterday), but I don't have enough posts.

@cappt
 

An understandable reaction but around 1 in 5 of the general population suffer from anxiety at some time in their life so must have developed coping strategies to prevent anxiety turning into panic. I've had a couple of passengers board my aircraft and then offload themselves as a result of anxiety. If only they could understand that anxiety feeds on itself as the sufferer erroneously believes that they are going to loose control of themselves which seldom happens.

He could use training a few go arounds and learn that "firewalling the throttle" is okay, and better than the alternate. Other than that, I definately understand that he could become anxious if not used to turbulence and changing wind conditions during short finals, and low on time as well feeling a need to "show he is up for the task"... 600 vs. 14000 hours is, no matter how nice the guy in the other seat is, still a pressure.

So get him into a cockpit, and let him regain his confidence. If he cannot, that's another matter.

I've always been a believer in giving people a second chance, but in my own opinion this is not the time and place. He should have been weeded out earlier (or at least played cards then). Most non-LLC passengers wouldn't expect anything less, but I guess it's just simply another case of you get what you pay for.

While wishing our colleague a quick recovery and a bright career, I have to disagree with the above, as all those sensations should have been experienced during initial pilot training.
It is ok to put 250 hours guys on the RHS of an airliner IF there is enough "squeezing" during flight training to minimise any kind of unwanted outcome with paying customers onboard.
Anyway, our colleague might be reading us and here nobody is perfect, so again hope he will make it to retirement as a pilot but there are issues that need to be addressed -IMHO- with "modern" flight training.

I had an event during my very very early career (now I am in the early phase, so there you go), less than 100 hours on type, a sudden windshift during the flare that made me lose 15 knots of airspeed. A go around was made by myself but some damage had been done. No biggie, the aircraft flew just fine. Subsequent successful landing, on the same runway, done by myself. I came out clean with the higher ups and said what I might have done wrong during that phase. I was supposed to receive some extra training, but at no time was my job in jeopardy. Training quickly cancelled after the internal safety report confirmed my piloting technique, according to the book, was correct and we had an actual windshear with no warnings. I saved the day with the go around, indeed.

Ok, I do not suffer from anxiety and this event did not affect me. Everybody is different, but I would hope the lad gets a second chance, with the support required.

And I bet this lad had less than 100 hours on a real airplane before getting to fly an A320. He must be an MPL product.

A Piper or Cessna on a windy, gusty, turbulent day and cross wind landings will always help the confidence :)

But people can definately go through many hours before encountering something "new" or "interresting"... It's these new and interresting things that makes you learn.

If the person involved is confirmed to be a MPL graduate, I am curious to know the actual amount of hours he had on SEP before progressing his training in the simulator. And it would be also interesting to know what wind limits were imposed for his training on during the initial phase. I heard of schools that would not let you fly with wind reported more than 10 kts.

Simulators, as good as they might be, are not good at replicating variable wind conditions.

Don't throw away the man

Help him manage. I believe more than a few of us have had panics attacks in life. Once addressed they are safer than the guy who never had one and great support for the next guy.

In the end I would prefer flying with a pilot who has had one and experienced coming out of it.