The copilot of an Airbus A319 experienced an anxiety attack so severe that he had to leave the flight deck during a 2018 approach to Glasgow, Scotland. He told incident investigators that he was “overthinking” the approach, which came one day after shifting winds prompted the commander to conduct the first go-around that the first officer had experienced in the airplane.1
The U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said in its final report on the incident that each approach had begun with the copilot as the pilot flying; however, in both cases, the commander took over the controls to land the airplane. No one was hurt during either flight, and there was no damage to either airplane.
Although crewmembers appear to only rarely experience anxiety attacks while flying, researchers have identified a number of fear-of-flying episodes. For example, a 2005 study identified 150 cases involving Spanish civil and military pilots from 1985 through 2002; of these, 56 cas…
