Delta Air Lines settles with pilot who raised safety concerns

CNBC ^ | October 22, 2024 | staff

[xxqqzz]

Delta settled allegations that the airline ordered a pilot to undergo a psychiatric exam and barred her from flying in retaliation for raising safety concerns. The settlement approved Friday ends a long-running dispute in which a federal arbiter agreed with many of the pilot’s claims and said Delta failed to show any faults in her flying ability.

Delta has settled allegations by a pilot who said the airline ordered her to undergo a psychiatric examination and barred her from flying in retaliation for raising safety concerns to company executives.

The settlement approved Friday ends a long-running dispute in which a federal arbiter agreed with many of the pilot’s claims and said Delta failed to show any faults in her flying ability. In 2019, the case threatened to derail former President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Federal Aviation Administration.

Terms of the settlement were confidential, although the pilot’s law firm said they were “consistent with” the arbiter’s 2020 ruling, which said Karlene Petitt deserved to get $500,000 in compensation for damage to her career.

Atlanta-based Delta declined to comment.

Petitt pressed her case under a 2000 law designed to protect whistleblowers who report issues of aviation safety.

In early 2016, Petitt gave two top Delta executives a report running more than 40 pages in which she raised allegations about pilots being forced to fly when they were fatigued, gaps in Delta’s pilot training, falsification of training records and other issues. She also emailed the airline’s CEO.

After meeting with Delta officials, Petitt was referred to a psychiatrist picked by the airline, who diagnosed a bipolar disorder. Petitt was grounded for nearly two years until independent doctors found her fit to fly.

[xxqqzz]

old story, but interesting in light of recent events. They had her declared insane so she couldn't fly because she complained about safety issues. Then the case went to trial, Delta lost and appealed, but eventually settled.

[xxqqzz]

I meant October 22, 2022 on the date.

[jimtorr]

.....psychiatrist picked by the airline, who diagnosed a bipolar disorder.

Delta's hand-picked phycho diagnosed a bipolar disorder, not insane. For a flight career, tho, the difference is minimal. She should have gotten a lot more than .5 mil, and the psycho should lose his license.

[Retain Mike]

Her pointing out gaps in training reminded me of the USS Fitzgerald collision killing several sailors. The OOD, JOOD, and CIC watch officer were all female and ended up on the wrong side of green table for court martial. They were found guilty of violating at least nine counts of navigation rules. Their defense attorney offered the point that the problem extended to senior officers. The ship captain and others as far back as the Pentagon got four punches on their diversity tickets, because the CIC watch officer was also black.

I have heard many lamentations about how the Navy officer corps does not seem like a meritocracy anymore. I still remember reading the USNI article by the person in charge of Academy admissions writing with great enthusiasm that the incoming freshman class mirrored the ethnic makeup of the general population.

[chajin]

If we know all this, so does Hegseth. That for now is our only hope.

FD: my USN experience consists of growing up a DOD brat with a father who was a GS-11 at the Philadelphia and Yokosuka naval bases. Grew up around naval officers in the 60s, and going up the ranks pretty much required sustained merit, at least some of it in combat.

[Rockingham]

Airline pilots have an active and potent union — and they need it. Airlines are capital intensive and a high wire act for management. They often prefer to ignore safety issues in order to save money. When safety issues crop up, they tend to instinctively try to marginalize or punish those who complain.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Big picture. Flying’s still the safest form of travel. The occasional crash doesn’t lower it. She can go public with her concerns and the usual suspects in congress and the media will be happy to run with it. The settlement is the cost of doing business.

Think Adam Schiff. He’ll find issues where there are none.

[AlaskaErik]

$500,000 isn’t even going to begin to cover what she lost in wages between 2016 and now. Maybe there was another agreement to cover lost wages, but I don’t know. We have a daughter-in-law who is an airline captain and $500,000 is less than two years wages for her.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Big picture. Flying’s still the safest form of travel.

Depends on which metric you use.

Airlines like to use the per mile traveled metric. When you use a per trip metric, driving a car is safer.

[chuckb87]

“Delta’s hand-picked phycho diagnosed a bipolar disorder, not insane.”

She should sue the psychologist for msl prsctice.

[chuckb87]

Malpractice*

[Rockingham]

Aviation is inherently dangerous. Like the sea, the sky seeks to kill those who challenge it. Inattention to aviation safety can kill passengers and kill an airline company.

Can you imagine an airline company ever admitting to passengers that they considered their possible deaths as not a tragedy to be strenuously avoided if at all possible but merely an insurable risk that was a cost of doing business? "Fly with Death's Head Airlines. We budget for your risk of death."