Suicide and Murder-Suicide Involving Aircraft.

Area of Science:

• Aviation Safety
• Psychiatry
• Forensic Science

Background:

• Systematic review examining pilot suicide and homicide-suicide events.
• Distinction between pilot suicide and homicide-suicide in psychiatric literature versus aeromedical/media reporting.
• Identifies differing risk factors for these distinct events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review suicide and homicide-suicide events involving aircraft.
• To differentiate between pilot suicide and homicide-suicide.
• To identify risk factors and potential preventative measures.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive search of medical, internet, and aviation safety databases.
• Systematic retrieval and review of relevant case studies.
• Cross-referencing of articles for additional case identification.

Main Results:

• Identified 65 pilot suicides and 6 instances of passengers jumping from aircraft.
• Documented 18 homicide-suicide events resulting in 732 deaths, with pilots involved in 13.
• Found 17% of pilot suicides in this study were homicide-suicides, a higher proportion than in non-aviation samples.

Conclusions:

• Homicide-suicide events are rare but have a substantial impact on mortality.
• Pilot suicides may cluster following media reports of similar events.
• Two-person cockpit presence may be protective against homicide-suicide; risk factors include personal crises and stressors, with substance use prominent in suicides but not homicide-suicides.