He just hit his breaking point.
That is how law enforcement officials quoted a United Airlines (UAL) -) pilot who was charged with criminal mischief following a bizarre incident at Denver International Airport earlier this month.
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Video of the Aug. 2 incident obtained by CBS News Colorado showed the 63-year-old pilot, Kenneth Henderson Jones, bashing a parking arm at an employee parking lot with a full-sized ax and causing an estimated $700 damage.
In the video, Henderson chops at the parking arm at the exit gate of an employee parking lot 23 times until he knocked the parking arm off its base.
A United Airlines pilot has been charged in a bizarre ax attack earlier this month in which he savaged a parking arm at a Denver International Airport employee parking lot, causing an estimated $700 in damage. https://t.co/3pwiIx0x5c
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 18, 2023
Jones then scuffles at length a few minutes later with an airport employee who saw what happened and tried to take the ax away from the pilot.
He surrenders the ax after a second airport employee intervenes and helps wrestle it away. Airport administrators described it as a "physical struggle" with no injuries.
Concerns about mental health
Adams County Sheriff's deputies said Jones told them, "He just hit his breaking point."
Jones told police that he was trying to leave but he estimated there were six cars in line at each of the three exit gates.
Airport administrators said there have been issues with the lot as people don't have proper permits and Jones told deputies that he "was trying to get rid of issues for everyone waiting."
Jones was charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief. He is scheduled to appear in court in Adams County Court on Sept. 25 for an arraignment.
Russel Carlton, Corporate Communications Manager for United told CBS that Jones was removed from the schedule and is on leave while United conducts an internal investigation.
The incident calls attention to mental health challenges facing commercial airline pilots, who are contending with a post-pandemic travel boom and a busy summer schedule.
In the report "Health in the Skies: A Narrative Review of the Issues Faced by Commercial Airline Pilots," authors Piercarlo Minoretti and Enzo Emanuele warn that "severe psychiatric conditions may also increase the probability of dangerous behaviors during piloting."
"Since fear of negative career impacts may prevent flying pilots from seeking help for high levels of psychological distress or psychiatric conditions," the report said, "it is recommended that civil aviation authorities take measures to raise awareness and provide assistance for mental health treatment aimed at prevention."
William R. Hoffman, a Federal Aviation Administration aeromedical examiner, writing in the Nov. 22 issue of the Scientific American said data indicates many pilots are refusing to seek health care out of fear they will be pulled from flying.
'Time is of the essence'
"The FAA bars pilots from the cockpit if they report seeking regular talk therapy for even mild anxiety or depression," Hoffman wrote. "This may last for months and sometimes even years based on the assumption they pose an unacceptable risk to safety."
While it makes sense to ground a pilot in distress, Hoffman said "the current system often fails to recognize the dynamic and often situational nature of mental health symptoms and often drives pilots from seeking care."
Hoffman said recognizing that mental health “is on a dynamic spectrum and that many pilots could benefit from talking to a professional mental health provider at some point in their career has the potential to keep pilots flying healthy while also increasing safety in the system.”
"The FAA should change policy to permit pilots with mild symptoms to seek professional regular, and if needed prolonged, talk therapy without loss of their medical certification," he wrote.
"While credit is due to the FAA for recently making several positive policy changes related to mental health, there is still work to do and time is of the essence," he added.
The FAA said in a statement that it encourages pilots to seek help if they have a mental-health condition "since most, if treated, do not disqualify a pilot from flying."
"During the last several years, the FAA has invested resources to eliminate the stigma around mental health in the aviation community so pilots seek treatment," the agency said.
This includes increasing mental health training for medical examiners and supporting industry-wide research and clinical studies on pilot mental health, the FAA said.
Capt. Michael Wilson, speaking for the Air Line Pilots Association, said the union could not address the Denver incident, but noted that ALPA has focused on improved quality of work life balances during its most recent contract negotiations.
“ALPA pilots are the best and safest worldwide because of our vast network of committees committed to ensuring each pilot has the resources to handle the challenges of our fast-paced career,” he said. "ALPA continues to champion 'schedule with safety' as we have since the birth of our organization."
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