Flying Under the Radar: A Survey of Collegiate Student Pilots to Identify Aeromedical Nondisclosure and Healthcare-Seeking Behaviors

The disclosure of a new or existing mental health condition in a pilot presents a slew of complications concerning their medical certification status. The threat of losing medical certification often discourages pilots from seeking treatment for mental health issues or disclosing such information to aeromedical professionals, contributing to a barrier to seeking healthcare that affects pilots of all certification levels. This study focused on the nondisclosure and healthcare-seeking behaviors of the student pilot population at a large, accredited, private institution that offers flight training in accordance with 14 CFR Part 141. Our anonymous online survey found that 56.6% of student pilots met the criteria for some degree of depression, and 13.8% reported the prevalence of self-injurious or suicidal ideation. Additionally, 67.7% of students expressed concern for seeking care for mental health issues because of potential effects on their medical certification, while 29.3% admitted to withholding mental health information from aeromedical professionals out of concern for their medical certification. This study found that the same barrier to healthcare present in the airline pilot and military populations is also present in the student pilot population. Further studies are necessary to explore additional factors contributing to the pilot healthcare barrier and nondisclosure in aeromedical settings.