US EditionThe Rare but Terrifying Risk of Pilot Murder-Suicides in Air Travel
AHMEDABAD, INDIA, JUL 19 – Preliminary findings suggest the senior pilot deliberately cut fuel supply amid concerns over pilot mental health and depression, highlighting aviation safety challenges, experts say.
- On June 12, 2025, a Boeing 787 crashed just outside Ahmedabad airport, killing all but one of the 242 aboard.
- Jeff Guzzetti, former FAA and NTSB investigator, said the captain suffered depression and hid his diagnosis from Air India, and investigators will examine pilots’ medical histories and medications.
- According to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the switches flipped roughly one second apart, and AAIB recordings capture one pilot asking why the fuel was cut.
- After the preliminary report, regulators ordered inspections of fuel control switches on 787 fleets, Campbell Wilson said the investigation is “far from over” with no medical concerns noted, and AAIB urged against drawing premature conclusions.
- Industry experts warn that growing concern over how mental health is treated in aviation highlights the need for better support systems, while Dr. Robert Bor told Newsweek that rare incidents with catastrophic consequences underscore aviation’s mental health needs.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Sole survivor of Air India crash 'still dreams he is on the plane'
Investigators are trying to uncover what led to the deadly crash (Picture: Reuters) The only person to walk away from the deadly Air India flight last month is suffering from nightmares after his ordeal. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was the lone survivor from the plane, which crashed on June 12 in Ahmedabad, India. The father-of-one, who had been in window seat 11A, stumbled out of the burning jet moments before it exploded, while all other 241 on…
The US Sun
The SunBrit survivor of Air India crash tormented by nightmares where 'everyone dies'
AIR India’s sole crash survivor has nightmares where “everyone dies,” and won’t speak about the horror he went through, his family said. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, walked away with cuts and chest injuries after the Boeing 787 slammed into a residential building in Ahmedabad, India. Dan CharityVishwash Ramesh, the sole survivor of the Air India crash, posing for the first time since the disaster[/caption] ReutersVishwash crawled through a hole in…
The Air India flight incident has rekindled the debate over the mental health status of commanders and first officers. The story of Troy Merritt, 32, who asked for help and returned to the cockpit
The hypothesis of the accident of the Air India 171 prior to the publication of the Preliminary Report was mainly concentrated on the possibility of a failure in the sophisticated on-board system control software of Boeing 787, mainly the FADEC that manages the engines and is integrated in an even wider system that should guarantee the most total safety of the flight. What was not clear before the Preliminary Report was whether after the take-of…
Mysterious engine problems, inflated passengers or "pilot fatigue" in the middle of the Atlantic. Line pilots reveal what makes their daily work so stressful. And why they want to quit the GAV with Swiss.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 38% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
