In context, the above items suggest the life-
style of a man who never developed beyond the
cedipal stage and who had a deep need to assert:
his masculinity in overt manners such as hunting,
game fishing, scuba diving and flying. The
strong self-imposed pressures to accomplish
these manly activities derived from his lack of
identity. The over-all anxiety led the subject
to attempt to be everything-to-everybody-at-all-
times in order to make himself acceptable to all.
His final behavior appears to be a regression to
the infantile omnipotent state in an effort to
control the uncontrollable events which were
causing his progressive deterioration. This in-
formation indicates that the probable mode of
death was intentional suicide.

2. Case Number 71-2433 : The 47-year old male
subject crashed his light twin-engine aircraft on
a clear night, killing himself and his female
companion. It was found that he had been
heavily consuming alcohol in the period im-
mediately prior to the crash, and that the bar-
tender of the last bar where the pilot and
passenger had imbibed together had called the
uirport and advised that they be prevented from
initiating flight. Later that night, a tower con-
roller recorded communications demonstrating
chat the pilot had slurred speech, geographic
lisorientation in spite of good weather, and in-
sreasing confusion in the operation of the light
cwin-engine aircraft. The aircraft crashed when
t ran out of fuel following improper navigation
oy the pilot.

The psychosocial reconstruction inventory in-
licated that the subject was characterized by an
mpulsive personality, and maintained his
motional equilibrium by violently acting out
vgainst those who “stepped on his toes.” Other
significant factors indicate that his behavior was
the product of specific family relationships in
iis early history. The subject and his wife had
secently separated and he had suffered the addi-
ional stress of being arrested as an “ordinary
sriminal” in the presence of his children, a cir-
mstance based upon his violation of visitation
sights. The victim did not trust banks and
coutinely carried huge sums of cash, as was the
sase on his final flight.

Although the subject was inebriated when he
ook off on his final flight, his wife noted that
his was not a previous practice of his. She did
state that she had known him to take a jigger

of scotch on some occasions immediately before
flying.

Based upon the collected information, it is
construed that the motivation for attempting the
final flight was supplied by the sociopathic per-
sonality of the female companion. Briefly, she
had made several suicide gestures and attempts
in the recent past and actually had been released
from a mental institution on the day of the fatal
crash. The psychosocial reconstruction inventory
indicates that she was able to influence the sub-
ject’s behavior as a pilot to the extent that she
caused her own death and that of the pilot, an
unusual case of suicide by “homicide”: she the
instigator, he the instrument, both the victims.

3. Case Number 102-AM 120: The 51-year
old, highly educated male subject departed in his

single engine aircraft, ostensibly for a specific’

destination near a scientific meeting site. The
aircraft was found in a bay, far off course, and
the subject’s body was found floating nearby.
This type of occurrence is traditionally reported
as a water impact. However, the subject was in
a “wet-suit” of the “frog man” type and his
clothes were in a waterproof bag tied to him.
The psychosocial reconstruction inventory re-
vealed that the victim, who held a Ph.D. in
psychology, had been raised by a compulsive,
dominant, frequently absent father within a high
socio-economic setting. A reconstruction of the
situation revealed that the lack of a mother’s
hand and the absence of sibling interplay had
permitted the victim to develop fantasies of
being totally self-sufficient. This self-sufficiency
served as a protective screen in that it indicated
that the subject controlled his destiny and
environment with little input from others, pre-
cluding the possibility of failure in accomplish-
ing the tasks he set for himself. This led to
compulsive behavior, and the particular attitude
that the subject must be totally “in charge.”
The information developed indicated that the
subject was highly suggestible (this may have
been auto-suggestibility) and that he had per-
sonal desires to assume the identity of a fictitious
person. He was confronted with an essentially
unsolvable dilemma concerning his role in life
and “took flight” toward an assumed identity
in an attempt to escape a personal life he could
no longer tolerate. In addition, the pressure
derived from his socio-economic background and
his inability to control his wife’s probable mental





ventory of personal information derived from
interviews of family members and close associates
of the deceased by a psychiatrist; individuals
chosen for interview were those who might
significantly affect the behavior of the subject
and those in a position to objectively observe it.
The derived information presents a history of
the psychosocial development of the individual
and any pre-accident deterioration. Essentially,
the inventory consists of the key elements in an
individual’s life insofar as they may be deter-
mined retrospectively. It may be conducted by
any professional or paraprofessional well ac-
quainted with the psychodynamics of behavior.

Tilustratively, the inventory may be outlined
as follows:

I. Informants
A. Spouse (including previous spouses,
fiance/fiancee if applicable)

. Parents

. Siblings

. Children (mature)

. Airport Personnel

. Close Friends.

. Business Associates

. Flying Associates (including instrue-
tors)

BMOsyeouanw

IL. Areas of Dynamic Influence
A. Familial Constellation
B. Procreational Family
C. Economic, Social and Educational
History
D. Physical and Mental Health

TIL. Pre-Accident Influences and Behavior

A. Influences (Any psychosocial deterio-
ration is noted, including development
of depressive episodes, occurrence of
guilt feelings, lack of self-esteem or
sense of identity; likewise such situa-
tions as economic reverses, loss of
loved ones or marital discord.)

B. Behavior (Specific behavior prior to
the final flight may be very instructive,
particularly if there is obvious varia-
tion from established behavior pat-
terns. A good example is adherence
to pre-flight procedures.)

Synthesis of the above information yields a
liefstyle picture, touching on basic beliefs, at-
titudes, aptitudes, experiences and accomplish-

ments of the victim. General behavioral char-
acteristics are noted and interpreted in dynamic
context. Relatively recent changes in the in-
dividual’s personality may reflect an increasing
difficulty with emotional control and coping
mechanisms, involving status of relationships
with family and friends, perhaps a deterioration
culminating in the fatal crash. Thus, a coherent
summary personality profile relative to flight
activities and the fatal flight is sought, with the
ultimate goal of prevention.

To date the psychosocial reconstruction inven-
tory has been applied to fatal aircraft accidents
when the Regional Flight Surgeon of the in-
volved FAA region has requested additional
information.

Three examples drawn from the preliminary
case files are provided below:

1, Case Number 70-4213 : The 52-year old male
subject crashed in his light twin-engine aircraft
four minutes after normal take-off. The aircraft
struck the ground nose-down at a 45° angle and
was completely demolished. The physical
autopsy disclosed no alcohol, drugs or CO fac-
tors in the “accident.” No mechanical failure
was found.

The psychosocial reconstruction inventory dis-
closed the following information pertaining to
recent problems facing the subject :

A. A criminal charge of arson was pending
against the victim.

B. A civil suit was being considered against
him by an insurance company.

C. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service was
claiming a large arrears in his income taxes.

D. The victim's wife was suffering from ad-
vanced cancer.

E. A pending separation from the wife was
becoming more pressing.

F. The completion of certain projects placed
his future occupational status in jeopardy.

G. A recent inability to keep up payments
on his aircraft threatened its continued avail-
ability.

H. An inability to keep up repairs on his
aircraft. jeopardized its airworthiness.

I. A self-need to undertake “masculine’
activities became increasingly difficult to ful-
fill as the aging process continued.

J. A recent suicide attempt by his wife was
extremely upsetting.


deterioration appear to have triggered the neces-
sity of separating from the disturbing domestic
influence. The subject determined that the man-
ner of separation could not be of the usual form.

The subject chose a method of separation
which evidently was disturbing in that the plan
consisted of a practiced deceit which he could
not well tolerate by virtue of his psychodynamic
make-up, since the approach consisted of frank
hypocrisy. As the subject could not tolerate
deceit and hypocrisy, unconscious machinations
forced the inclusion in his grand plan of an
event of such great challenge and requiring such
skill that if the challenge were not properly
met or the skill were lacking, the price would
be loss of his life. If successful, the plan would
prove to the subject that he was in complete
control of his destiny and he could carry on in
a totally different identity. He successfully
ditched the aircraft but subsequently drowned
before reaching shore in his wetsuit. However,
this variable was deliberately written into his life
script and the mode of death, based upon the
available life history, is a probably subinten-
tional suicide, The degree of risk in his plan
was unnecessarily great to accomplish his goal.

Discussion.

The reconstruction of the psychosocial process
leading to an accident requires data collection in
addition to that routinely collected by the FAA,
NTSB and other authorities. The routine in-
formation is often sparse, especially when a tense
emotional state existed prior to the accident be-
tween the victim and those close to him. At
times, the emotional reaction of the lay investiga-
tor to his own feeling of concern for the victim’s
family can interfere with an objective judgment
about the circumstances that contributed to or
provoked the accident. Too frequently, an official
investigation amounts to a description of what
happened and avoids that body of information
which indicates’ why. Upon collection of
psychosocial background information, a case con-
ference and investigative review should become
important elements in getting to the “why” of
an accident.

It is noted that difficulty in collecting data
arises from deliberate or unintentional distor-
tions of information recalled by informants.
Evasion may at times be encountered, as may
denial, even direct suppression of evidence. In

some cases, suicide notes may be deliberately
destroyed by survivors after a fatal crash.

It may be necessary to explain to informant:
that self-destructive tendencies do develop ix
responsible, religious, or “successful” persons
and the fact that the deceased may have mad
plans for the next day or week is not sufficien
reason to rule out a simultaneous preoccupatior
with suicide or a suicide plan. In this connec
tion, it has been found that the interview ex
change often reduces grief in the survivors anc
makes it easier for them to accept the death o
the victim. These interviews may thus be no
only purely investigative but therapeutic as well

Since some accidents involve frankly suicida
or “subintentionally” suicidal psychodynami
mechanisms, attention must be given these possi
bilities in assessing the preventability of ai
crashes. Suicidal actions take a great variet:
of forms, and the reasons, motives, an:
psychological intentions of suicidal persons ar
quite complex. Some of the most prominen
motivational reasoning of suicidal persons in
yolves (1) a wish for surcease, escape or rest
(2) a feeling of anger, rage, or revenge; (3
notions of guilt, shame, or atonement; an
(4) wishes to be rescued, reborn, or to “begi
again.” Suicidal actions also contain im
portant communications and appeal element
which are too frequently ignored until it is to
late. It has been found that destructive idea]
or impulses ordinarily are well-controlled an
most unconscious. However, these impulses ca
be brought to the fore and released under ir
fluences of mental stress, physical exhaustior
frustration, alcohol, drugs, and other tangib]
or intangible agents.

An important additional consideration wit
respect to suicidal activity is that the continuw
of behavior in suicide ranges from detaile
planning with direct consummation of death t
that characterized by a confused approach ir
volving carelessness and self-negligence (inter
tional or subintentional). The present leg:
classification of death into “natural,” “ace:
dental,” “suicidal,” and “homicidal” categorie
is derived from ancient tradition and later leg:
procedures, The social benefits of this classifice
tion are in assignation of responsibility for tk
death in the moral or the legal sense. The ir
dividual, himself, often plays the deciding rol


TECHNICAL REPORT STANDARD TITLE PAG!

1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No.

FAA-AM-72-2

3. Recipient's Catalog No.

4, Title and Subtitle

PSYCHOSOCIAL RECONSTRUCTION INVENTORY - A POSTDICTAL
INSTRUMENT IN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

5. Report Date
January 1972

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s)
Robert E. Yanowitch, M.D., Stanley R. Mohler, M.D.,
and E, A. Nichols, B.A.

&. Performing Organization Report No.

9. Performing Organization Name and Address
Aeromedical Applications Division
Federal Aviation Administration
800 Independence Avenue, S.W.

ton, D.C, 20591

10. Work Unit No.

11. Contract or Grant No.

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address
Office of Aviation Medicine
Federal Aviation Administration
800 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20591

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

OAM Report

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

TS. Supplementary Notes

16, Abstract

A new approach to the investigation of aviation accidents has recently been
initiated, utilizing a follow-on to the psychological autopsy.
psychosocial reconstruction inventory, enables the development of a dynamic,
retrospective portrait of the pilot-in-command subsequent to an accident.
fatal general aviation accidents were studied in this way in 1971.

This approach, the

Twelve
When routine

accident investigation data are supplemented by a psychosocial or "lifestyle"
reconstruction, a much deeper understanding of the cause of the accident often

emerges.

In addition to the traditional detailed explanation of what happened,

it is often possible to determine why the pilot-in-command behaved in a fashion

to produce the accident.

By increasing pilot insight into the role of emotions

and situational stress in accident causation, more effective accident prevention

programs should result.

[17 Key Words
Suicide, accident prevention, aircraft

accident investigation, psychological
autopsy, accident predisposition

TS. Distribution Statement
Availability is unlimited.
be released to the National Technical
Information Service, Springfield, Virginia
22151, for sale to the public.

Document may

‘20. Security Classif. (of this page)
Unclassified

19. Security Classif. (of this report)
Unclassified

2. No. of Pages | 22. Price
5 $3.00

Farm DOT F 1700.7 (5-69)



in causing his own demise, and this self-destruc-
sive effort may result in death in many circum-

stances that ordinarily are not considered suicidal.

The “psychological autopsy” seeks to clarify
he immediate psychodynamic processes leading
‘o death. It is accomplished by interviewing
hose who knew the deceased, including close
‘amily members, business associates, friends and
1eighbors. The “psychosocial reconstruction in-
entory” is an extension of this approach, and
eeks to collect life information derived through-
ut the lifespan of the deceased, even as far
rack as his prenatal experience.

In relation to the above, it is stressed that the

irplane, as with other “human-guided” trans-
ortation vehicles, is often symbolically much
nore than a traveling machine that takes the
river from A to B. It actually represents an
xtension of the individual and to a greater or
ssser extent enhances the self-concept of the
ilot. Consequently, considerations, especially
notional factors, have a very significant part in
atermining safe flight activities on behalf of a
iven pilot. The changing interplay between
utionality and emotionality determines the out-
me of a specific flight. The changing char-
teristics of the pilot with age and with his
fe-experience, must be comprehended by the
lot, assisted through safety educational
tivities,

Conclusions.

Despite concentrated airman proficiency pro-
grams, periodically strengthened FAA enforce-
ment activities and broadened general aviation
safety education activities, a seemingly irre-
ducible number of fatal general aviation accidents
occurs each year. In these cases the pilot, not the
aircraft, is the predominant causal factor.. Cur-
rent routine accident investigation procedures
do not elicit the accident-related psychosocial
factors which are the basic determinants of a
significant proportion of today’s accidents. The
psychosocial reconstruction inventory has demon-
strated considerable promise in delineating the
psychodynamic factors which led to the pilot
behavior causing an accident. When a sufficient
number of case histories and the associated
psychodynamics are catalogued and made avail-
able to pilots in general, many pilots, with the
exception of those of the most marked psycho-
social deterioration, will, it is hoped, have suffi-
cient self-insight through “pre-programming” to
forestall undertaking pilot-in-command duties
during those periods when emotional factors tend
to override reason.

It is concluded that if efforts are made to ex-
tend the psychosocial reconstruction inventory to
a significant number of general aviation acci-
dents, the derived information will yield a new
and clearer understanding of the causal aspects
of these accidents and will result in the addition
of this new dimensicn to aviation safety pro-
grams of the future.

REFERENCES

Federal Aviation Administration: FAA Air Trafic
Activity—Calendar Year 1970, Department of Trans-
portation, Washington, D.C. February 1971, pp. 28-25.
Shneidman, EB. §.: “Suicide, Sleep and Death: Some
Possible Interrelations Among Cessation, Interrup-
tion, and Continuation Phenomena. Journal of Con-
sulting Psychology, Volume 28, 1964 pp. 95-108,

Farberow, N. L. and E, §. Shneidman (Editors) : The
Cry for Help, McGraw Hill, New York, 1961.

4, Curphey, T. J.: “The Forensic Pathologist and the
Multi-disciplinary Approach to Death” in E. S.
Shneidman (Hditor), Mssays in Self-Destruction,
Science House, New York, 1967.

. Mohler ,8. R.: “The Predominant Causes of Crashes
and Recommended Therapy,” Ofice of Aviation
Medicine Report AM 66-8, Federal Aviation Agency,
Washington, D.C., April 1966,

on





THE PSYCHOSOCIAL RECONSTRUCTION INVENTORY—A POSTDICTAL
INSTRUMENT IN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

Introduction,

Aircraft operations at the 335 FAA-operated
Traffic Control Towers numbered 55,280,498 dur-
ing calendar year 1970, a doubling from the 1960
figure? Of the above, 22,362,196 of the opera-
tions were conducted by general aviation. Gen-
eral aviation experienced 626 fatal accidents
involving 1,278 fatalities in 1970 in their propor-
tion of the above operations plus their operations
to and from those of the 10,847 airports which
did not have FAA control towers. FAA Office
of Aviation Medicine accident records describe
the circumstances surrounding each crash. A
majority of these documentations, however, fail
to indicate “why” the event occurred. Many of
these incidents, perhaps a majority, resulted from
intentional or subintentional pilot error,

Relatively scant literature exists concerning
studies of the accident-facilitating behavior of
pilots involved in aircraft crashes. Therefore,
the senior author (Dr. Yanowitch) developed an
instrument based upon the psychological autopsy
and modified to “postdict” the behavior of the
victim. This approach delineates the etiological
factors underlying the accident by means of the
psychosocial reconstruction inventory.

It is recognized that there is some degree of the
unexpected in all occurrences and, therefore,
almost all events can be studied with respect to
“accidental” qualities. Most events, however, ex-
hibit predictable qualities which comprise the
prime etiological basis for the circumstances.

It is a common observation that persons often
experience preconsciously determined “accidents”
(loss of articles, forgetting appointments, and
other similar occurrences). A great deal may be
learned about accidental phenomena by studying
ul accidents rather than ony those that result in
njury or fatality; however, for practical reasons,
this paper is primarily concerned with “post-
lictal” studies of fatal aircraft accidents. The
nethod under discussion is especially relevant to

accident prevention since it extracts information
which will be employed to impart insight to
individual pilots concerning specific periods of
their lives when they are ill-advised to pilot air-
craft. High risk factors appear to prevail under
given circumstances of personal life.

In view of the foregoing, the development of
the psychosocial reconstruction inventory involves
the collection of psychological data concerning
the developmental behavior and functioning of
the deceased from birth to the time of traumatic
death, the latter possibly self-determined, In-
formation is particularly significant concerning
the period of time immediately preceding the
fatal episode.

Historically, it is noted that the psychological
autopsy originated in 1955 at the Suicide Pre-
vention Center in Los Angeles under the guid-
ance of Dr, Edwin S, Shneidman and Dr.
Norman L. Farberow, in liaison with Dr. T.
Curphy, the Los Angeles Qounty Coroner.?**
Vital services and research functions were carried
out through the coroner’s office in the investiga-
tion of cases of equivocal deaths (i.e., in which
the mode of death was uncertain, possibly
suicidal), The staff members investigated these
cases by obtaining a psychological picture of the
deceased through interviews of survivors. The
coroner found that the addition of this informa-
tion to that data available through routine in-
vestigation resulted in a more meaningful cer-
tifieation of the mode of death. It was also
discovered that mourners were often assisted in
adjusting to their period of grief through the
interviews associated with the psychological
autopsy.

Method of Procedure.

A. prescribed procedure for developing a life-
style “postdictal” profile was applied in 1971
to the pilots of over a dozen fatal general avia-
tion accidents. Each profile consists of an in-