JetBlue Pilot Has Psychotic Break

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 4, 2012
All Rights Reserved.                                         

               Yelling “Guys, push it to full throttle,” ranting about al-Qaeda, 49-year-old JetBlue pilot Capt Clayton Osbon went ballistic at 35,000 feet, prompting his co-pilot Jason Dowd to take over the controls and make a safe landing in Amarillo, Texas.  Charged by the FBI and Justice Dept. with interfering with a flight crew, Osbon faces felony charges that carry up to 20 years in prison.  Bound from New York’s JFK International Airport to Las Vegas, Capt. Osbon started showing erratic behavior shortly after takeoff, speaking incoherently, rambling about Jesus and terrorists.  “Osbon also yelled jumbled comments about Jesus, Sept. 11, Iraq, Iran and terrorists,” according to the FBI complaint.  “He also yelled, ‘Guys push it to full throttle,’” causing his co-pilot to lock him out of the cockpit.  Most flight crews are unfamiliar with psychotic breaks, the technical term for a nervous breakdown.

            Simple panic attacks don’t involve the kind of paranoia exhibited by Osbon.  “Osbon began talking about religion, but his statements were not coherent,” stated the affidavit.  “The [first officer] became concerned when Osbon said ‘things just don’t matter.’  Osbon yelled over the radio to air traffic control and instructed them to be quiet.”  Dowd became “really worried” when Osbon said, “We need to take a leap of faith.  We’re not going to Vegas,” and ‘began giving what the FO described as a sermon,” confirming that he’d gone mad.  In some strange irony, Capt. Osbon mirrored the same kind of rant as Sept. 11 terrorists, yelling “Alahu Akbar,” before steering the planes into the World Trade Center or into a tailspin before exploding in Shanksville, Penn.  Captain spoke about “completely unregulated numbers” and the “sins in Las Vegas,” going completely off the rails.

            Airline pilots and air-traffic controllers don’t routinely submit to periodic psychological evaluations, testing to see vulnerability to stress and propensities to mental illness.  Osbon, a commercial pilot since 1989, “began acting erratically , flipping switches in the cockpit and appearing confused,” said some unnamed source.   Osbon was responsible for 131 passengers and six-crew when he started flipping switches in the cockpit.  Were it not for passenger David Gonzales, a former New York corrections officer, there’s no telling what Osbon would have done running up-and-down the aisles tormenting passengers.  Osbon “aggressively grabbled a flight attendant’s hands,” mentioning the “150 souls on board,” a veiled threat to taking down the plane.  “I was actually the one that took him down.  I noticed he was very erratic,” said Gonzales, stopping him from breaking down the cockpit doors.

            Psychotic breaks happen for a variety of reasons, but, first and foremost, is the vulnerability to stress, caused by genetic and neurological factors.  It remains to be seen whether Osbon was taking any prescription or illicit drugs, or, for that matter, suffered from prolonged sleep deprivation and exhaustion, all of which contribute to breakdowns.  Once the break occurs, severe cognitive impairments hamper reality-testing, where the mind plays tricks on them.  Osbon’s references to al-Qaeda, Sept. 11, terrorists, etc., all indicated that his mind was racing.  “He was pinned against the door.  I was afraid he was going to knock down the door.  I was able to put a chokehold on him.  I was able to get him weak from cutting his windpipe,” said Osbon, attesting to the adrenalized strength witnessed by raging psychotics.  Once subdued, brought into protective custody, a psychiatric evaluation is required.

            Like drug testing, routine psychiatric examinations are needed to test fitness-for- duty in high-stress jobs on which innocent lives depend.  Whatever federal privacy statutes prevent such examinations, Congress needs to fix them, especially when it comes to high-stress, dangerous occupations.  At 35,000 feet, it’s no time for a psychotic break.  Taken into FBI custody handcuffed and put into a wheel chair, even a neophyte psychiatrist should figure out Osbon’s mental status.  “If there’s any suspicion on the part of the doctor, they will not sign that they’re clear to fly,” said Kevin Hiatt, a veteran commercial captain and now safety consultant.  Most medical doctors conducting routine exams don’t pick up mental problems unless they’re blatant.  Charged now with felony “interfering with a flight crew,” Osbon faces some stiff penalties, including jail time, for his erratic behavior.

            No profession can control entirely for otherwise reliable personnel going psychotic.  When the dust settles for Osbon, he’ll be evaluated for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and a host of other mental illnesses.  More often than not, he’ll fit into the bipolar diagnosis for which there are some reliable treatments, assuming the patient cooperates and takes their meds.  Regardless of the diagnosis and treatment, Osbon cannot be given flying responsibilities again without careful supervision and clearance by a qualified panel of mental health experts.  At 35,000 feet, there’s simply no room for error to return Osbon to his usual-and-customary occupation.  Psychotic breaks with garden-variety bipolar disorders don’t permit the kind of high-risk and stressful occupations like airline pilot.  To protect the public and avoid future events, Osbon must have his wings clipped.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.       

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