WASHINGTON (Nov. 30, 2023) —The National Transportation Safety Board will host a Dec 6 in-person roundtable discussion on mental health concerns in the aviation community.
The summit will bring together safety experts from the aviation industry, academia, the mental health profession, and government to examine the unintended consequences of the current system for evaluating mental fitness in the aviation workforce, and to explore ways the U.S. can modernize its approach to mental health while managing risk in the national airspace.
“Everyone should feel safe speaking up, getting the mental health care they need, regardless of their profession. Aviation should be no different, and yet it is different,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “Current federal rules incentivize people to either lie about their needs or avoid seeking help in the first place — and that’s not safe for anyone.”
Chair Homendy will host the summit, “Navigating Mental Health in Aviation,” which will be held on Dec. 6 from 9:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time at the NTSB Boardroom and Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC.
The summit will be open to the public. Those planning to attend, including members of the news media, must register at NTSB Aviation Safety Summit: Navigating Mental Health in Aviation.
The intention to hold the summit was first announced in remarks Homendy made at an aviation conference on Nov. 2.
The event will not be livestreamed, but a video recording will be uploaded to the NTSB’s YouTube channel several days after the summit.
The summit agenda is available at Navigating Mental Health in Aviation.
To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).
