In the wake of tragic Dreamliner crash, trauma latches on to flight crew, pilots

The morning of June 13 was one of the most dreaded for a pilot who had recently taken command of the A320 after seven years as co-pilot.

- Anjuli Bhargava

The morning of June 13 was one of the most dreaded for a pilot who had recently taken command of the A320 after seven years as co-pilot. As details of the Air India crash came in and theories on the causes did the rounds, not only did he get a sinking feeling when he thought of his forthcoming flight that afternoon, but his wife and ageing mother's incessant replaying of the videos and those 32 seconds before the airplane blew up in flames gave him the jitters. "A lethal combination of awe (that something like this was at all possible), trauma, shock and disbelief (ATSD)", is how he described the feeling.

As he finished lunch in his Gurugram apartment and began to get ready to leave for the airport, his wife and mother surrounded him and urged him to call in sick. They too needed a day or two to absorb the shock of the unreal nightmare that had unfolded on TV, computer and phone screens. The pilot, who asked not to be named, finally caved in and called in sick, unaware that he was actually one of many both in his airline and in the rival carriers to have done so. For days after the crash, pilots and cabin crew across the country looked for ways to cope with what may had, prior to June 13, considered a one-in-a-billion event. Almost all domestic airlines saw a few sick call ins, some due to pressure from family members than a case of nerves.

The three "dystopian" days, as many in the sector described them, post the crash, did require some re-rostering and rescheduling on the part of Air India, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed, with a few commanders, first officers and crew calling in sick, although he claimed that things were back to normal by Monday, June 16.