The final moments before the Plane crash!

I asked a serious question. THEY said mobile phone, and I asked how it got there. If it were in the passenger cabin, I would be fine with it.

Steve

Here you go Steve:
Jesus H. Christ - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Steve, while I understand your sentiments, you need to keep in mind that what this co-pilot and Adam Lanza did were extreme and rare. Not to mention, human behavior simply isn't always predictable. Even the best mental health professionals can't predict anyone's behavior 100%.

The pilot's tragic actions were far from "typical", particularly for someone suffering from depression with suicidal ideation. He reportedly told his former girlfriend quite some time before this incident that he wanted to do something to "change the system" and to "make sure everyone remembers his name". That, to me, sounds very narcissistic. He may also have had grandiose delusions. I suspect there was much more than depression going on with this individual.

Should there be closer screening of pilots? Perhaps. But pilots aren't the only ones who can harm a lot of people at once. Someone can get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle - especially truck drivers or bus drivers - and kill a lot of people all at once as well. Should every person who gets a driver's license be screened for mental health issues - and if so, how often? Every 6 months? Every year? What about every nurse, doctor, or veterinarian, for example - people who have access to lethal drugs through their work? Even someone working in a restaurant, bakery, or fast food place could probably pretty easily poison a lot of people without anyone having a clue - until it's too late... So, again, where do you draw the line with screenings and privacy?

Sadly, these two individuals (Lanza and the co-pilot) have added to the already troubling stigma attached to mental health issues. But in the whole big picture, it's a very rare person who does anything like what they did.

As much as I'm deeply saddened by what happened, I'm still a huge advocate for privacy laws. There isn't, unfortunately, a simple solution. Could things have been done differently in this situation? Perhaps - starting with changing the lock system that kept the other pilot out of the cockpit. But to start violating people's privacy with regards to mental health issues - that can backfire in a lot of ways. It will deter a lot of people who need help from getting it. And that can also lead to tragic outcomes.

As it is, a lot of people won't talk about suicidal thoughts due to the very realistic fear that the police might show up at their door and haul them off to the nearest hospital. Think that's not traumatizing? Think they'll reach out for help next time? I've seen this happen with a lot of people; they weren't at imminent risk, but they said the wrong thing to the wrong person and next thing they knew they were being treated like a criminal - literally - and now had to deal with incredible humiliation on top of their other struggles. Talk about adding insult to injury. Sometimes our "suicide prevention" efforts backfire in a huge way.

This pilot reportedly had a doctor's note saying he was "too ill" to work that day; but too ill doesn't necessarily translate to suicidal / homicidal. If the doctor had had any reason to believe this guy was an imminent danger to himself or others, he would very likely have been involuntarily hospitalized. But again, it's not always obvious - even to highly trained professionals. Imminent risk isn't always as apparent as we'd like it to be.

Screenings aren't 100% reliable - and they're invasive. Someone can be fine one week and experience a trauma or significant loss a week later (that no one knows about), potentially changing his or her mental health profile very quickly. Some mental health issues are chronic, but some are acute. So, should pilots be screened prior to every flight? Where do you draw the line?

The solutions aren't black and white, and they never will be. I sincerely hope lawmakers don't make extreme decisions based on rare and extreme incidents like this one that end up doing more harm than good. Most tragedies like this one (or the Sandy Hook shooting, for example) aren't nearly as predictable or preventable as we'd like to believe...