Captain Strangelove

This headline caught my eye:
“Mentally ill Qantas pilot allowed to fly despite complaining of urge to crash.”

Say what?

A Qantas pilot suffering from a mental illness was allowed to keep flying for three years despite complaining of his urges to crash his planes. . . .Pilot Bryan Griffin said he struggled with overwhelming desire to switch off his plane’s engine on several occasions during his career, yet was deemed fit to continue flying by doctors.

During a flight from Perth to Singapore in 1979 Griffin stated that his left hand “involuntarily” moved towards the start levers” in a “torturous” compulsion, the Workers Compensation Commission of New South Wales Workers heard. He said he “struggled with the uncontrollable limb as though it wasn’t mine” and was forced to place it under his seat belt to restrain it. . . . (continue reading)

For those who do not understand the Dr. Strangelove allusion, this will help.