In an alarming report from the Wall Street Journal, the already stretched-thin US air traffic control system is being buffeted by complaints from flight tower staffers that FAA protocols make them fearful of losing their jobs if they request help in dealing with the stress of their jobs or report that they are seeing someone for their mental health concerns.
A dozen air traffic controllers died by suicide in 2024 — a rate eight times higher than the national average — yet the FAA's punitive medical reporting system is actively discouraging controllers from seeking mental health treatment, according to the Journal investigation.
According to reporting from Christopher Kuo, Dean Seal, and Allison Pohle, the FAA's own protocols are a contributing factor in the deaths of controllers. At least once a year, controllers must report all visits made to health professionals, including psychologists or psychiatrists, for treatment, exam or evaluation in the prior three years. A newly disclosed diagnosis or treatment could prompt officials to request additional information and require controllers to undergo rounds of psychological evaluations, which can cost thousands of dollars out of pocket, while controllers risk losing medical clearance to work for months or longer.
The result: controllers are choosing silence over survival.
Joshua Adams, a 38-year-old air traffic controller who had worked for the FAA for more than a decade, embodied this tragic choice. He struggled with symptoms of depression, but concealed his condition out of fear that it would disqualify him from directing traffic.
"Babe, I can't talk to anybody. Please don't talk to anybody about how I'm feeling. I don't want to lose my job," he told his wife Davy, who recalled the conversation with the Journal.
In November 2024, Joshua died by suicide in a Seattle hotel room. When Davy arrived days later, she found the space stripped bare — walls scraped, furniture wrapped in plastic, the report notes.
The pattern extends far beyond one tragedy. John Turke, who worked as a controller for 17 years at towers in Oklahoma City, Las Vegas, and Dallas, refused to seek medical help despite obvious distress. He feared an anxiety or depression diagnosis could cost him his medical clearance. His sister Cathy Axelsson recalled visiting him in October 2024 and seeing a man consumed by stress and sleep deprivation and, despite her pleas, he refused to see a doctor.
Turke died by suicide in December 2024 at the age of 41, leaving behind a wife and two sons. After his death, more than a dozen controllers from across the U.S. wrote to Axelsson to share their own struggles with stress and the stigma around seeking support.
Controllers report being "increasingly frayed and fatigued due to chronic staffing shortages and frequent equipment outages," the Journal report notes before adding that last fall's government shutdown that left employees working for weeks without pay has only compounded the overwhelming stress.
Brian Vogelsinger, who spent two decades as a controller before quitting in January citing fatigue, articulated the tragic choice facing his former colleagues, telling reporters, "Controllers bottle it up."
Industry experts have identified the root cause. In 2024, a panel of aviation and medical experts concluded that the industry had a culture "that contributes to the problem of not reporting medical disorders, particularly those linked to mental health."
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.