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An Cosantóir July / August 2026 www.military.ie/magazine
A
t 09:30 GMT on the morning of 24 March 2015,
GermanWings flight 9525 made a routine check-in
with air traffic control and the instructions were to
proceed as cleared from Barcelona to Dusseldorf. Eleven
minutes later, all contact with the aircraft was lost as it
crashed in the Alps with the loss of 150 lives.
As with all air accident investigations, the root cause of the
crash became the focal point and evidence sources including
the "black box" – or cockpit voice recorder, began to draw
investigators' attention to the Co-Pilot – Andreas Lubitz. It
became clear he was unfit to fly having concealed details of
doctor's notes excusing him from work due to medication for
both psychiatric issues and insomnia. Ultimately, investigators
found his deliberate actions alone caused the loss of
GermanWings 9525.
I have been flying for almost 30 years. I remember vividly being
told pilots are expected to "leave their troubles at the door
once they step into the cockpit", as if flipping a switch mentally
can park the worry of bills, stress of sick children or anything
else life throws at us that might keep us awake at night.
Being "fit to fly" is essential for pilots as it directly impacts their
ability to manage, react and operate an aircraft effectively,
minimising the risk of pilot error caused by fatigue, health
issues or stress. In the Air Corps, the Air Regulations Manual
14 |
PILOT WELLBEING
AND PEER SUPPORT AND PEER SUPPORT
ARTICLE BY COMDT DÓNAL CURRAN,
OC FLYING TRAINING SCHOOL
CULTURE CULTURE
