For decades pilots have passed a quiet piece of advice down the line: if you are struggling, do not tell the doctor. Admitting depression or anxiety could mean months on the ground, a special-issuance process that can drag past a year, and for some, the end of a career. The advice was bad for pilots and worse for safety. On Thursday 25 September 2026 the US Senate voted to start changing the system that created it.

Two bipartisan bills passed by unanimous consent. The John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act orders the FAA to modernise its mental health rules and funds more aviation medical examiners, including psychiatrists. The Aviation Medication Transparency Act makes the FAA publish, in plain language, which medications pilots and air traffic controllers may take. Both now go to the House.

Named for a Student Pilot

The first bill carries the name of John A. Hauser, a University of North Dakota aviation student from Chicago who died by suicide in October 2021 during a training flight to Fargo, as reported by Valley News Live. His family has since funded peer support at UND and campaigned for change. In a statement after the vote, his parents said they were proud the law bears their son's name.

The act directs the FAA to update its mental health regulations and its special-issuance process for medical certificates. It also tells the agency to put into effect the recommendations of its own Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee, and to run a public campaign against the stigma around seeking care.

The Problem the Bills Target

According to Reuters, pilots can currently be grounded for three months simply for changing the dose of an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication. An FAA expert panel found that roughly one in five pilots and controllers who report a mental health issue initially lose their clearance to work, and approval to fly on antidepressants can take more than a year. Faced with those odds, many pilots stay silent, which is exactly what regulators do not want.

The second bill tackles a simpler problem: confusion. A pilot or controller can take a common prescription without knowing it is disqualifying and put a career at risk by accident. The Aviation Medication Transparency Act requires the FAA to publish a clear list of acceptable medications within a year, update it annually, flag the ones on its "Do Not Issue" list, and give doctors a way to ask the FAA questions directly.

The Flight That Changed the Debate

The push gained momentum after 22 October 2023, when an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot riding in the cockpit jump seat of a Horizon Air Embraer 175 pulled both engine fire handles at 31,000 feet on a flight from Everett to San Francisco. The crew stopped him and diverted to Portland. Joseph Emerson later said he had been suffering from depression for months, had not slept in about 40 hours and had taken psilocybin mushrooms two days earlier.

That case put a face on a problem the aviation medical community had discussed for years. A pilot who hides a condition is not treated, and an untreated pilot is a bigger risk than one who is open about their care. The Senate bills try to turn that logic into rules. Whether they become law now depends on the House.

Pilots describe how FAA mental health rules discouraged them from seeking treatment. Video: CBS Colorado

Sources: Reuters, Valley News Live, The Hill, US News, Wikipedia (Horizon Air Flight 2059)