Suicide by use of aircraft in the United States, 1979-1989

Intentional aircraft crashes are a dramatic cause of death. The entire set of fatalities due to this cause of death in the United States has not been described. Mortality data from aircraft crashes determined as being due to suicide were obtained from National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) data sources. The NCHS reported that, between 1979 and 1989, ten persons committed suicide by aircraft crashes. Twenty aircraft crash fatalities were also reported during the period in which the intent of death could not be determined as either suicide, homicide, or accidental. White middle-aged males accounted for the majority of deaths. The NTSB reported, for the years 1979-89, that nine fatal aircraft accidents were suicide. All fatalities were male pilots operating small fixed wing aircraft. NTSB investigations identified evidence for important adverse psychologic factors in most pilots.