PFD report

John Peter MCLOUGHLIN · Prevention of Future Deaths report

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Issued 6 Mar 2025•West Sussex, Brighton and Hove

Report record

Published report and response evidence

This page connects the concerns raised in this report with statements found in recipients’ published responses. A link shows a clear evidence connection; it does not assign responsibility.

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Concerns
2

Raised in this report

Recipients
2

Named on the report

Responses found
1

Of 2 recipients

Stated actions
6

Described in responses

Recipients and published responses

Source document

Full report text

This is the full text from the original published report.

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Concerns and recipient responses

Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

Concerns raised2

  1. Inadequacy of Peer Support for pilots with severe mental health difficulties and suicidal thoughts
  2. Insufficient industry support for pilots whose problems escalate beyond usual job stresses and pressures
Responses linked to these concerns

Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.

Actions described in response An action is something a recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to a concern raised.4

  1. Action

    Launch and run a dedicated Pilot Peer training course providing delegates with skills, knowledge and behaviours to deliver pilot peer assistance.

    Stated by Civil Aviation AuthorityStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 10 March 2025.
  2. Action

    Instruct inspectors to encourage escalation of pilots’ significant mental-health concerns to mental-health professionals, including trained expert intervention.

    Stated by Civil Aviation AuthorityStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 10 March 2025.
  3. Action

    Instruct inspectors to encourage operators and training organisations to improve peer supporters’ practical suicide-awareness and intervention knowledge.

    Stated by Civil Aviation AuthorityStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 10 March 2025.

Respondent positions A position is what a recipient says about a concern when it does not describe a specific action.1

  1. Position

    Existing aviation regulations, pilot medical assessments and CAA guidance already mitigate some identified mental-health concerns.

    Stated by Civil Aviation AuthorityExisting arrangements considered sufficientThe respondent said that existing arrangements were sufficient, so no further action was needed.

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Inadequacy of Peer Support for pilots with severe mental health difficulties and suicidal thoughts

Wider context from the report

“John was an experienced Pilot. He was on a training course run by Quadrant which he found stressful and with which he struggled. On the course, mental health issues were discussed. The support offered was through Peer Support who allow pilots to talk to another pilot who is a trained mental health first aider, but they are not medically trained. Although HM Coroner is of the view that there is great merit in talking through difficulties with those in the same industry, I have concerns that Peer Support is not adequate support for those who are suffering severe mental health difficulties and suicidal thoughts. It appears that there is not enough support in the industry as a whole for pilots whose problems escalate beyond the usual stresses and pressures of the job. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

No recurring-concern membership is currently published.

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Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Insufficient industry support for pilots whose problems escalate beyond usual job stresses and pressures

Wider context from the report

“John was an experienced Pilot. He was on a training course run by Quadrant which he found stressful and with which he struggled. On the course, mental health issues were discussed. The support offered was through Peer Support who allow pilots to talk to another pilot who is a trained mental health first aider, but they are not medically trained. Although HM Coroner is of the view that there is great merit in talking through difficulties with those in the same industry, I have concerns that Peer Support is not adequate support for those who are suffering severe mental health difficulties and suicidal thoughts. It appears that there is not enough support in the industry as a whole for pilots whose problems escalate beyond the usual stresses and pressures of the job. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

No recurring-concern membership is currently published.

Open source report

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Launch and run a dedicated Pilot Peer training course providing delegates with skills, knowledge and behaviours to deliver pilot peer assistance.

Verbatim wording from the response

“To support organisations with pilot peer assistance, the CAA launched a dedicated Pilot Peer training course through its subsidiary, CAA International. The course provides delegates with the skills, knowledge and behaviours, as a peer, to become confident in delivering pilot peer assistance to flight crew under an operator’s support programme. The course has been run annually since 2023 and can be run on a bespoke, ad-hoc basis when requested. More information about this course can be found here.”

Source location

Response from Civil Aviation Authority
Page 2 · response
Published 10 March 2025

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Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Instruct inspectors to encourage escalation of pilots’ significant mental-health concerns to mental-health professionals, including trained expert intervention.

Verbatim wording from the response

“The CAA will therefore instruct Flight Operations and Approved Training Organisation Inspectors, through its programme of audit activity, to encourage operators and Approved Training Organisations to continue improving their mental health support to pilots by:”

Source location

Response from Civil Aviation Authority
Page 3 · response
Published 10 March 2025

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Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Instruct inspectors to encourage operators and training organisations to improve peer supporters’ practical suicide-awareness and intervention knowledge.

Verbatim wording from the response

“The CAA will therefore instruct Flight Operations and Approved Training Organisation Inspectors, through its programme of audit activity, to encourage operators and Approved Training Organisations to continue improving their mental health support to pilots by:”

Source location

Response from Civil Aviation Authority
Page 3 · response
Published 10 March 2025

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Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Direct inspectors to encourage operators and training organisations to highlight pilots’ mental-health importance and available support resources, particularly during stressful training and examinations.

Verbatim wording from the response

“Further, the CAA will, on an ongoing basis, direct its inspectors to encourage operators and Approved Training Organisations to highlight to pilots the importance of their mental health and to ensure they are aware of the resources that are available to them, particularly during times of stress, such as during flight training and examinations. These measures will make these organisations fully aware of the roles they play in supporting pilots at risk.”

Source location

Response from Civil Aviation Authority
Page 3 · response
Published 10 March 2025

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Source evidence

How this respondent position was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Existing aviation regulations, pilot medical assessments and CAA guidance already mitigate some identified mental-health concerns.

Verbatim wording from the response

“The CAA does consider there is already an aviation safety regulation structure in place that is designed to mitigate some of the concerns identified by the Assistant Coroner. This structure, which includes direct regulation of operational peer support programmes for pilots in accordance with the requirements in the Ops Regulation and mental health assessments for pilots under the Aircrew Regulation, is enhanced by the publication of information and guidance by the CAA which is focussed on operators and aero-medical examiners recognising mental health concerns for pilots, those who are in training and those who are actively engaged in flight operations, and how to deal with them.”

Source location

Response from Civil Aviation Authority
Page 3 · response
Published 10 March 2025

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Other statements in published responses

These actions and other statements could not be clearly connected to one concern in this report.

Recipient-stated actions An action is something a recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to a concern raised.2

  1. 1

    Make a human-factors and pilot-mental-health workshop recording publicly available as a safety resource.

    Stated by Civil Aviation AuthorityStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 10 March 2025.
  2. 2

    Review and publish revised Pilot Health Safety Sense Leaflet content including pilot mental-health guidance for pre-flight preparation in non-commercial operations.

    Stated by Civil Aviation AuthorityStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 10 March 2025.

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Make a human-factors and pilot-mental-health workshop recording publicly available as a safety resource.

Verbatim wording from the response

“Another resource that is made publicly available by the CAA is a recording of a workshop that was overseen by Astral Aviation Consulting in November 2024 on human factors and pilot mental health: available here. This workshop was hosted by an aviation psychologist and human factors specialist. Astral Aviation Consulting are the current contracted provider of General Aviation Safety Promotions for the CAA’s General Aviation Unit.”

Source location

Response from Civil Aviation Authority
Page 3 · response
Published 10 March 2025

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Review and publish revised Pilot Health Safety Sense Leaflet content including pilot mental-health guidance for pre-flight preparation in non-commercial operations.

Verbatim wording from the response

“The CAA’s General Aviation Unit is also in the process reviewing the content in its Pilot Health Safety Sense Leaflet, due to be published at the end of Summer 2025. A section will now be included within this leaflet on the topic of Pilot Mental Health related to pre-flight preparation for non-commercial operations.”

Source location

Response from Civil Aviation Authority
Page 4 · response
Published 10 March 2025

Open published response
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Information checked against the published report and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026