WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) – The United States should do extra to prioritize the psychological well being of pilots, air site visitors controllers and different aviation professionals, a prime security official stated on Wednesday, after an off-duty Alaska Airlines (ALK.N) pilot allegedly tried to crash a industrial flight in October.

The pilot was charged with attempting to disable the engines of a jet in flight and informed police afterward he was struggling a nervous breakdown.

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy stated at a day-long discussion board on the problem that regulators should empower individuals to get assist.

“There is a culture right now that you either lie or you seek help. We can’t have that. That’s not safety,” she informed reporters.

Pilots are required to report sure  psychological  well being  situations to aviation medical experts, who decide health to fly.

Homendy cited challenges comparable to controllers being pressured to work necessary six-day work weeks due to worker shortages, and backed amnesty for pilots and others to “come forward and be honest about struggles.”

Jeremy Horn, managing security director of Horizon Air, a unit of Alaska Airlines, stated the incident involving the off-duty pilot within the cockpit “jump seat” of the Oct. 22 Horizon flight had prompted a wider dialogue about psychological well being.

Horizon is holding a quarterly security day on Monday targeted on self-care.

The Federal Aviation Administration stated final month it was naming a pilot psychological well being committee with about 20 members to offer suggestions to encourage pilots, air site visitors controllers and others to report psychological well being points.

The FAA stated it’ll tackle open suggestions from a July inspector basic’s workplace report which discovered the company’s capability to cut back security dangers is “limited by pilots’ reluctance to disclose mental health conditions.”

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.