( CNN ) Well , I 'll be the first to admit , I got caught off guard on this one . If indeed the assessment of the cockpit voice recording of Germanwings Flight 9525 's final moments is an accurate one , it is shocking . It is inconceivable to me that a fellow pilot would use an airplane for his demise and the demise of his passengers . It is my hope that there is more to this uncanny , horrific tragedy than just an extraordinary suicide event . Although a report of normal breathing from the co-pilot in the moments before the crash indicates that he was not incapacitated , how can one really tell ? A farfetched idea , but could he have suffered a fit of schizophrenia never diagnosed , or suffered some other mental disorder , perhaps brought on by medication ? I know , it 's not likely . As an airline pilot , I 'm taking this incident personally . Why ? A pilot betrayed the public trust . With all the other fears -- terrorism , disappearances of planes , aircraft malfunctions -- how do I reassure my passengers that they should not add medical illness , mental or otherwise , of the pilot to the list ? For the moment , I 'll have to believe that my customers are intelligent enough to realize that the Germanwings co-pilot is an anomaly . Sure , as with any profession , pilots have isolated cases of stress-related troubles . But we have mechanisms to deal with such problems . One mechanism is very simple : Do n't fly . It is incumbent upon us to determine our own fitness for duty . As a matter of fact , on every trip , I have to confirm that status before I electronically sign the flight plan . Whether it 's as simple as suffering from the common cold or suffering from the distraction of a nasty divorce , airline pilots can just say `` no '' to flying . As part of the hiring process , we completed a psychological evaluation . With my airline , one part of the evaluation involved a written test that asked obscure questions in different ways . Another part of the test involved pilots listening to an air traffic control recording made during the angst of a thunderstorm event while at the same time completing a battery of math and shape-orientation problems . We were then asked questions specific to the conversations between the air traffic controllers and pilots we 'd heard in the recording . The test was a measure of our multitasking abilities and our abilities to deal with stress . In addition , the airline 's doctor conducted an individual mental evaluation . Airline pilots in the United States are required by the Federal Aviation Administration to take a medical examination once every six months . The examination is mostly physical , but the doctor is expected to ask some basic mental health questions , most of them about depression or alcohol consumption . In addition to requiring pilots to indicate any prior health issues during the previous six months , the application for the exam also compels us to self-disclose the use of medications , specifically for the treatment of depression . If we have consulted a therapist , that also has to be disclosed . Yes , all bets are off if we deceive the system by hiding things from it , but by every indication , this rarely occurs . The consequence for deception is having your FAA pilot 's license suspended . When it comes to experiencing stress , airline pilots are no different than anyone else . But we tend to deal with stress internally . I have been trained as a peer support volunteer in critical-incident stress management , a joint program between the pilots union and my airline uses as a debriefing method to talk pilots through any serious event experienced in flight . The idea is to mitigate any post-traumatic stress associated with such an event , and occasionally the process would uncover personal issues that would be referred to other support providers , like mental health professionals . I have found that my colleagues demonstrate an above-average ability to compartmentalize their problems and not let personal issues affect their job performance ... most of the time , of course . If personal issues invade the cockpit , mechanisms are in place to assist . What mechanisms ? At my airline , both the company and the pilot 's union work in unison . Programs to assist a pilot experiencing problems are just a phone call away . And if there is concern about a colleague 's mental health , we can contact one of these programs on the other pilot 's behalf , anonymously if necessary . In some circumstances a pilot can be removed from duty . At every recurrent training period , the curriculum includes a presentation reminding us of these mechanisms . No system is perfect . Yes , as with all human systems , somebody will fall through the cracks . Even a good psychiatrist can miss an impending suicide . Redesigning an airplane cockpit based on the infinitesimal chance that another Germanwings co-pilot is out there seems like an overreaction . If passengers require reassurance of my sanity , then it would be best to more actively promote the mechanisms already in place . We can start with education . As I fly back from London today , I am certain that the Gulf War Air Force hero beside me , who dealt with enemy missiles and raising a family , will do nothing other than an exemplary job . I am honored to call him my co-pilot .
note 1 : Fliers should know that Germanwings flight is anomaly ; airlines have procedures for vetting pilots ' baggage . He says psych evaluations , medical exams , peer - oversight protocols make such procedures rare .