Aircrews` mental health once again in focus

Germanwings pilot suicide has FAA rethinking mental-health tests
BY ALAN LEVIN


France Plane Crash
Rescue workers comb debris of the Germanwings jet at the crash site near Seyne-les-Alpes, France, on March 26. The flight's co-pilot intentionally crashed the aircraft into a mountain.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government is taking steps that may change the way airlines screen employees for mental illness in response to the downing of a plane by a suicidal pilot in France two months ago, according to a person familiar with the plan.

The Federal Aviation Administration has created a panel of government and industry officials to recommend ways to improve the evaluation of pilots' fitness to fly, said the person, who wasn't authorized to speak about the project. It is one of the most comprehensive reassessments ever of pilot medical rules, the person said.

"It's going to go study it in the way it should with the right people involved," American Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker, said at an event in Washington, without elaborating on the committee's work.