Airline pilots hide mental health woes to keep on flying

Dozens of airline pilots say they are reluctant to disclose mental health issues - even minor or treatable ones – because of the risk of grounding and a career-ending review, write Rajesh Kumar Singh and Dan Catchpole from Salt Lake City, Utah

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Annie Vargas could see the signs of her son slipping away and pleaded with him to seek help. But her son, Brian Wittke, a 41-year-old Delta Air Lines pilot and father of three, pushed back, terrified that getting treatment for depression would cost him his licence and livelihood.

The drop in air travel during the pandemic kept Mr Wittke at home more and affected his mental health, Ms Vargas told Reuters.

On the morning of June 14, 2022, Ms Vargas tried to reach Mr Wittke by text, but his location data was disabled. By the time it reappeared, Wittke had died by suicide in the Utah mountains near his home outside Salt Lake City.

Commercial airline pilots often conceal mental health conditions for fear that disclosing therapy or medication, or even just seeking help, could mean having their licence pulled, putting themselves and their passengers at risk, according to Reuters interviews with three dozen pilots, medical experts and industry officials, as well as a review of medical studies.

For this story, Reuters spoke to at least 24 commercial pilots at US and foreign carriers who said that they were reluctant to disclose mental health issues — even minor or treatable ones — fearing immediate grounding and a lengthy, costly medical review that could end their careers.

The pilots Reuters spoke to cited multiple reasons for not coming forward with mental health challenges, including airline policies, regulatory requirements and social stigma.

“Real people have real problems,” Ms Vargas said. “And they shouldn't be penalised for dealing with it.”

Ms Vargas said she was speaking to Reuters because she hoped the family’s tragedy would challenge the culture surrounding mental health in the aviation industry. The news agency corroborated details of her account with Wittke's wife.