There are plenty of reasons to be anxious about air travel, with Boeing dominating headlines lately for mechanical failures. But when it comes to accidents related to heavy machinery, the biggest issues tend to be human error. 94% of car accidents are the fault of a driver, and a similar average is found with air travel (around 80% of aviation accidents are due to pilot error). In the latest installment of FX’s The New York Times Presents documentary series, filmmakers explore an aspect of air travel you probably haven’t thought too much about – the mental health of your pilots.
(FX)
“Lie to Fly” explores issues within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the way pilot mental health is treated. At the center of the story is Joe Emerson, a former Alaska Airlines pilot who made headlines last year when he was a passenger in the cockpit of a commercial flight. In the midst of a mental crisis, and under the influence of drugs, Joe tried to cut the engine fuel midflight, becoming the poster child of a movement.
Director Carmen García Durazo brings a sensitive and human approach to telling Joe Emerson’s story, featuring interviews and home video footage of Joe and his wife Sarah. The majority of the documentary’s hour-long runtime is spent documenting the events leading up to Joe’s mid-flight breakdown, and talking about why the FAA’s policies surrounding pilot medical care prevented him from being able to get the psychiatric care he should have received. The narrative also briefly diverts to the parents of a University of North Dakota aviation student who committed suicide on a test flight, and also touches on a 2015 Germanwings crash that was caused by a co-pilot having his own mental health emergency.
While “Lie to Fly” often feels like it’s Joe Emerson’s story, the film is really about the need for the FAA to amend its policies. And, in fact, some changes have already been made. By the time of the film’s release, FAA changes have allowed pilots to still fly if they’re taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), aka the majority of antidepressants such as Prozac, Lexapro, and Zoloft. The film makes the case that Joe’s story would’ve ended much differently had he been able to receive this type of treatment when his mental health challenges began.
Speaking to the larger issues are Captain Dennis Taje (Allied Pilots Association), Dr. William Hoffman (University of North Dakota, Assistant Professor of Aviation), Dr. Brent Blue (Senior Aviation Medical Examiner), Joseph LoRusso (Aviation Lawyer), Dr. Susan Northrup (FAA U.S. Federal Air Surgeon), Matthew Johnson (Johns Hopkins University Professor of Psychiatry), Jennifer Homendy (National Transportation Safety Board Chair), and Representative Sean Casten (Illinois).
Like most installments of The New York Times Presents, “Lie to Fly” is a thought-provoking documentary about an aspect of air travel that most passengers aren’t tapped in to. It serves as a reminder that everyone on board your flight, from the passengers to the crew to the pilots, has human needs that need to be met. It would be difficult to experience “Lie to Fly” and not feel impassioned to join the fight to improve the quality of life for pilots.
The New York Times Presents: “Lie To Fly” premieres Friday, August 23rd, at 10/9c on FX, available to stream the next day on Hulu.