If this is real, it's an airline pilot meltdown.

Hmmm. Wonder where the dude in the other seat was.
 
TCABM said:
Hmmm. Wonder where the dude in the other seat was.
Click to expand...
Or the cabin crew. But how do we know the audio actually goes with the video? I find it odd that no one is reacting at all to this nuttery.
 
The reddit threads are pretty on point. There's no incentive for working pilots to be transparent about their health. Perverse incentive. Catch me if you can/FUPM/pick your platitude.

There's even a running joke in my circles about retiring .mil pilots the day before and after the fini flight. Amazing how someone goes from high time flyer to sleep apnea ridden 90 pct VA rating carcass in the span of one week, after 21 years of flying service. Seen it way too many times to even be bothered by it anymore. I know that might be shocking to outsiders, but it's just a Tuesday in the pilot ranks. Take that for what it's worth. Matters not, the dynamic will continue until incentives are modified. #dontshootthemessenger
 
So this guy doesn't sound mentally ill to me, but he's got some crap he needs to deal with. Sounds like he is in crisis, hopefully the other pilot reported this and it is being dealt with, quietly and professionally . Should it end his career? This incident? I don't think so, but it's up to docs to determine that and figure out what is going on with him. I feel bad for him and hope he gets his issues resolved.
 
As my buddy said: "At 64 years, 364 days I am the highest rated pilot at my airline. The next day I'm 65, and totally washed up."
 
Why are people assuming it's the pilot? I think it's a flight attendant, they are the ones who open the door. That flight was already at the gate.
 
Lindberg said:
Or the cabin crew. But how do we know the audio actually goes with the video? I find it odd that no one is reacting at all to this nuttery.
Click to expand...
That's what I was wondering although one person clapped at the end. What makes it sound scripted is that the guy doesn't pause in his speech.
 
Silvaire said:
Why are people assuming it's the pilot? I think it's a flight attendant, they are the ones who open the door. That flight was already at the gate.
Click to expand...
Well, he did talk about his previous experience in flight training to become an airline pilot. Should be obvious…
 
Lindberg said:
Or the cabin crew. But how do we know the audio actually goes with the video? I find it odd that no one is reacting at all to this nuttery.
Click to expand...

Did u hear the dude at the end? He said what most of us were thinking….STFU and I don’t care about your life problems….asked if there was a lawyer on board so he could sue lol. Now I’m not sure but I don’t think that’s how it works, otherwise people would be carrying lawyers around with them all the time. “Hey I’m suing you, I got a lawyer! Really, he’s right here.”
 
Reportedly real, happened many months ago. A crew member from a wholly owned subsidiary that was a passenger on a mainline flight, subsequently terminated.

But that is also second hand information obtained via the internet, so who knows.
 
PaulS said:
So this guy doesn't sound mentally ill to me, but he's got some crap he needs to deal with. Sounds like he is in crisis, hopefully the other pilot reported this and it is being dealt with, quietly and professionally . Should it end his career? This incident? I don't think so, but it's up to docs to determine that and figure out what is going on with him. I feel bad for him and hope he gets his issues resolved.
Click to expand...

If the FAA thinks someone who had ADHD as a toddler warrants a special issuance, clearly this behavior is something significantly more concerning. It may not qualify as mental ilness, but someone's inability to deal with personal crisis is an indication of mental instability.
 
sarangan said:
If the FAA thinks someone who had ADHD as a toddler warrants a special issuance, clearly this behavior is something significantly more concerning. It may not qualify as mental ilness, but someone's inability to deal with personal crisis is an indication of mental instability.
Click to expand...

I have no idea how the FAA would/will deal with something like this. But this episode truly underlines that if you have some underlying issues that are bugging you, don't let it fester.
 
Ugh, just what I want to hear right before I fly out on vacation. What happened to the days when people just suppressed their pain and kept it inside? Everyone has to voice their problems these days…millennials. :rolleyes:
 
Velocity173 said:
Ugh, just what I want to hear right before I fly out on vacation. What happened to the days when people just suppressed their pain and kept it inside? Everyone has to voice their problems these days…millennials. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
My PCP Always has me fill out some psychological questionnaire. I told him you fix the medical stuff. I’ll worry about my state of mind.
 
catmandu said:
Reportedly real, happened many months ago. A crew member from a wholly owned subsidiary that was a passenger on a mainline flight, subsequently terminated.

But that is also second hand information obtained via the internet, so who knows.
Click to expand...

I've read the same thing on the internal boards, but it's also second hand so who knows if it's any more reliable. It does appear that they were deplaning, so that might explain the "where was the other guy?" question - one or both of the pilots might have already been gone. The presence of the inflight magazine indicates that the video is more than a month old.

Regardless, I hope this guy gets the help he needs - certainly the industry isn't very understanding of mental health issues.
 
PlasticCigar said:
Keeping it bottled up works really well…until it doesn’t. Then you hit your spouse, kick your dog, get drunk, get high, overdose or crash something - often taking others with you.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking he meant not to blab your personal issues for the whole world on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok or the PA system.
 
PlasticCigar said:
Keeping it bottled up works really well…until it doesn’t. Then you hit your spouse, kick your dog, get drunk, get high, overdose or crash something - often taking others with you.

I’m not a fan of millennials who tend to have poor coping skills on a to begin with, likely due to mommy and daddy solving all their problems for them, but this was a cry for help and hijacking the PA is probably preferable to the previously described ways of reaching out for help.

Sounds like no one has to worry about flying with him.
Click to expand...

Not referring to keeping it bottled up from specialists that deal with phycological matters. He needs to keep his emotions in check while in public. This person obviously needs therapy. The PA system is not the place to get therapy. His attitude shows a complete lack of professionalism in an profession where a paying customer wants confidence in those sitting up front.

This individual seems to think just because he excelled in training by devoting his energy to flying, his personal has no bearing on his professional life. Nope, doesn’t matter that he has average intelligence and basic hand eye coordination to do the job. His conflicting personal issues could have grave implications on his ability to do his job safely (IMSAFE).

The statement below should be the mantra of all pilots that fly professionally. If one can’t live up to this statement, then they need to “tap out” and find another profession where lives aren’t in their hands.

FF7B50B2-4835-42C6-9C63-8300FE305EA8.jpeg
 
I didn’t get the idea he was in current crisis nor the things he talked about were immediate issues (they were chronic), but rather he has a personality disorder involving lack of appropriate social skills. Total blindness to the complete inappropriateness of blabbing all this personal stuff to a bunch of strangers in a professional setting. Another possibility maybe some kind of brain infarct that suddenly damaged whatever area of the brain censors your speech.

What he said itself wasn’t inappropriate per se, in fact it was rather introspective. The problem was where and when and to whom he said it, which is a huge problem. AA whoever was right to terminate him.
 
Last edited:
Rushie said:
I didn’t get the idea he was in current crisis nor the things he talked about were immediate issues (they were chronic), but rather he has a personality disorder involving lack of appropriate social skills. Total blindness to the complete inappropriateness of blabbing all this personal stuff to a bunch of strangers in a professional setting. Another possibility maybe some kind of brain infarct that suddenly damaged whatever area of the brain censors your speech.

What he said itself wasn’t inappropriate per se, in fact it was rather introspective. The problem was where and when and to whom he said it, which is a huge problem. AA was right to terminate him.
Click to expand...
Agree with everything but curious about the last sentence. They definitely needed to pull him from the line. But are there retraining options? That’s typically what we do my industry, but I’m not familiar with aviation.
 
AA did not terminate him. The pilot did not work for American. He was a regional pilot traveling non revenue on the flight. This is also several months old.
 
Feel bad for him. He's obviously suffering and needs an outlet. This was obviously not the appropriate place.
 
Airing your grievances is one thing, but if you do it on your employer's clock, and/or uniform you shouldn't be surprised about repercussions. There are many examples, not just dealing with aviation.
 
And it’s not just airing his problems, his problems are / were sexual in nature and shouldn’t be brought up in this setting. I can just imagine being a dad walking down the concourse after this and having my 4 year old look up at me, “daddy, what’s pornography?” :D

Second, while I fully support freedom of religion, while he’s on that PA, he represents the company. His comments on Christianity will be ripe for an atheist’s lawsuit.
 
Again he did not work for American.
 
Velocity173 said:
And it’s not just airing his problems, his problems are / were sexual in nature and shouldn’t be brought up in this setting. I can just imagine being a dad walking down the concourse after this and having my 4 year old look up at me, “daddy, what’s pornography?” :D

Second, while I fully support freedom of religion, while he’s on that PA, he represents the company. His comments on Christianity will be ripe for an atheist’s lawsuit.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Totally inappropriate and he seemed oblivious to all that.
 
Lindberg said:
Why did the American crew allow him to command the PA for any length of time?
Click to expand...

Since this occurred during deplaning, they might not have been onboard.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top