Seattle, WA — The Pilot Mental Health Campaign is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life following the collision of PSA Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter on the evening of January 29 near Reagan National Airport.
This accident underscores the critical work of each person involved in aviation safety, and the need to keep such people in top shape to perform their duties. The Pilot Mental Health Campaign (PMHC) urges the public, Congress, the President, and the FAA to support pilots, air traffic controllers, flight attendants, and the entire aviation community in continuing to boast the world’s safest airspace by destigmatizing mental health and increasing access to resources.
While American aviation leads the world in aviation safety, we can and must do better. The lives of Captain Jonathan Campos, First Officer Samuel Lilley, flight attendants Danasia Elder and Ian Epstein, their 60 passengers, and the three servicemembers aboard the Black Hawk helicopter must remind us each day that aviation safety is and has been maintained by an extremely competent and high-performing group of people. Such work takes its toll on the human psyche. The emotional and mental strain of keeping thousands of aircraft in the air and safely transporting millions of passengers each day cannot be understated.
The Mental Health in Aviation Act as well as the Aviation Medical Transparency Act both seek to address the shortcomings regarding mental health in the aviation industry. PMHC urges Congress to swiftly pass these bills to provide much-needed modernization of the FAA’s approach to mental health. PMHC urges the FAA to acknowledge that everybody – including pilots and air traffic controllers – deals with mental health, and that addressing and treating mental health struggles will keep the public safer than hiding in the shadows of an archaic, punitive medical certification process.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy remarked during a Safety Summit on Dec. 11, 2023, “Let me be clear…the safety risk comes from a culture of silence around mental health, not about seeking help.”
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For more information or interview requests, contact:
Dan Mantooth, Media Director, [email protected]
About PMHC
The Pilot Mental Health Campaign (PMHC) is the first and only advocacy organization dedicated exclusively to reforming the broken American aeromedical system and building a safe, effective, and modern system that supports the mental health and wellbeing of American pilots. Established by aviators, legal experts, and mental health professionals, PMHC collaborates with industry stakeholders, mental health experts, and policymakers to drive change. For more information, visit www.pmhc.org.