Delta Pilot Brian Wittke took his own life on June 14, 2022. March 6, 2023 I shared the story of Brian in the post Delta Pilot Suicides. On March 22, 2023, I wrote about the FAA Safety Summit on Mental Health. Then on October 25, 2023, we read the post, a Cry For Help. The effort to bring Brian’s senseless death to the media with his mother, Annie Vargas, to impact change, has taken years. Annie is an incredible woman keeping her son’s memory alive and not allowing his death to be in vain. Today his story has found it’s way to Reuters.
‘If you aren’t lying, you aren’t flying.’ Airline pilots hide mental health struggles”
Reporters Rajesh Kumar Singh and Dan Catchpole brought to life the story of mental health and pilots, in the article, ‘If you aren’t lying, you aren’t flying.’ Airline pilots hide mental health struggles” The interview with Annie is priceless, so watch the video embedded in the article.
While the authors speak of mental health and the Germanwings pilot who intentionally crashed his plane into a mountain, killing all onboard, that action opened the door for airline management to utilize pilot’s mental health to get rid of any pilot they no longer want on property. All management had to claim was, “We had to remove them because of the Germanwings pilot.” That’s what they did in my case.
My legal battle was ongoing at the time of Brian’s inner turmoil, and I often ask myself how any pilot could feel comfortable speaking out about an authentic mental health concern when their very own company was using the “mental health” tactic to get rid of a pilot for reporting safety.
The unfortunate thing is, that years prior to Brian taking his life, Delta and ALPA agreed to place pilots with a mental health issue in the same category as those with alcoholism and drug addiction. The contract stated after two years they would be on the street if they did not fix themselves. Yet, while ALPA and Delta had a system to help pilots with substance abuse issues, there was no help for pilots with mental health concerns, as Delta falsely told the reporters there was. Instead, a pilot with mental health issue would be on the street after two years without disability, no income, no insurance.
I had learned of this process when Delta pulled me from duty. I fought for change back in 2016 to ensure that anyone with a real mental health issue would receive disability until retirement. While this change was passed unanimously by the pilots, it did not make it into the contract until March 2023, six years after the pilots voted for it. And not before we lost the life of Brian Wittke. I believe Brian would not have taken his life had he known there were other options available. At the time he had none.
I’m so proud of my friend Annie for her strength through such a horrific loss of a child, and her persistence. Through her voice, Brian lives on and perhaps this story will save another woman’s child.
