Some may be angry, some worried, and some may feel responsible for losing the plane. Some will recover and return to normal quite quickly. They may ask themselves if they did everything they needed to do and did their job correctly, or if they put the United States in jeopardy by not destroying all the data and equipment. The more you feel responsible the more you feel ashamed, and the more you may develop problems or worries about career-related issues. It is normal to have emotional reactions to traumatic events.
Some people quickly regain emotional health and go on with their lives with no undue side effects.
Some people will not recover quickly, experiencing significant emotional upset for 1-3 months after the trauma. Other individuals may appear to recover and, in fact, lead emotionally healthy lives until some point in the future. At that point, they may be involved in another trauma, see representations of a trauma, or experience a triggering event that recalls their trauma, thus compromising their emotional stability. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a recognized psychiatric disorder. It is more than the normal emotional upset individuals experience following a crisis.