Professional pilots are humans like anyone else, and they struggle with the same mental problems that others face. Anxiety and depression are human issues, but due to the high standards required to fly, these conditions in pilots are often concealed in attempts to keep their livelihood.
To the average person, making sure that pilots are in good mental health seems like an obvious regulation, but it is much more complicated than it seems.
The most infamous incident in recent years was the Germanwings incident, in which a suicidal pilot intentionally crashed his plane into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board. This is a massive safety failure, but it brought into public question how such a case occurred. Though this incident took place in the EU, the FAA and the EU’s aviation authorities often have similar regulations and procedures.
In October 2023, an off-duty pilot for Alaska Airlines pulled the emergency fuel shut-off lines while riding in the jump seat and then attempted to commit suicide by jumping out of the plane. A flight attendant managed to stop him and the pilots restarted the engine, but this incident was another indicator that something had to change in the industry.
The root of the issue, many agree, is that pilots do not feel comfortable mentioning mental health issues to the FAA. Veteran pilots will often warn incoming pilots not to talk about mental health issues. The slightest hint of a mental health-related incident can lead to a pilot’s medical certificate being revoked. The pilot has to go through an arduous review process that usually takes around one and a half years.
Without a medical certificate, pilots are not able to work, and in addition to that, this review process involves highly specialized doctors, so one can easily spend upward of $10,000 on medical fees just getting the testing to apply to the FAA for a possible reissuance of a medical certificate. This life-altering issue is why pilots do not feel particularly safe announcing mental health issues to authorities.
This is where this issue becomes very complex because society does not want suicidal people flying planes, but on the other hand, the current system of repressing mental health issues it until a pilot breaks does not seem very safe either.
Gains have been made, with the induction of certain medications being allowed by the FAA, but, still, to get these medications requires a pilot to be grounded for over a year, and when they are allowed to fly again, they have to go to an expensive doctor every six months to get mentally reviewed.
The aviation industry faces a delicate balancing act between protecting public safety while also supporting the well-being of the pilots. The current system discourages honesty and early intervention, creating a dangerous environment where pilots may feel they have to suffer in silence. Meaningful change will require not just regulatory shifts, but a cultural one where pilots are treated as people first and where seeking help is seen not as a liability, but as a responsibility.