A Longitudinal Study on the Alteration of Consumer Perceptions and the Use of Pilot Medication

In 2010, the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the use of four antidepressant medications that could be prescribed to pilots on active flight duty, provided the pilot adhered to detailed policies and protocols. These medications were praised by many in the aviation community who were concerned with pilots underreporting mental health issues or engaging in self-medication. The purpose of this study was to complete a follow-up to a study, initially conducted prior to a 2015 Germanwings accident where a European commercial airliner crashed in an alleged case of pilot suicide. In the previous study, consumers were asked their willingness to fly when their pilot was taking various medications (fluoxetine, loratadine, ibuprofen or clonidine); and the findings suggest that the fluoxetine condition produces the lowest willingness to fly scores. The current study was replicated longitudinally in the weeks following the Germanwings accident. The findings of the current study reveal a significant drop in willingness to fly scores for the fluoxetine condition immediately after the accident; however, there is no significant change to the other medications. After 12-weeks, the fluoxetine condition returns to its pre-accident levels.