Are the pilots allowed to take psych meds?
A former China Eastern pilot who has emigrated to the US and was very familiar with the history and culture of Chinese airlines wrote an article after the crash on what he believes contributed to this tragedy. The first officer who flew the plane into the ground was a former senior captain with Yuhan Airlines. This airline fell into disfavor with the government and was merged into China Eastern. The senior Yuhan people were all demoted in status and salary. This veteran captain was now assigned as the first officer to a much younger, junior captain who had far fewer hours and was less experienced. This would have been a terrible insult to the former captain, and he may have snapped when he had to submit to the directions of his “inferior” if they disagreed with his judgement.
Pilots for most airlines must be evaluated for psychological problems and especially if there was a labor dispute involved in a merger that could have created bad feelings.