A student pilot's death leads to efforts to combat mental health stigma at flight school

In October 2021, a small plane crash in a field in North Dakota stunned the friends and family of the 19-year-old pilot, John Hauser.

Hauser was a student at the University of North Dakota's aerospace program. The preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report found there were no mechanical problems with the plane.

It was after Hauser's death that his family found letters from him revealing he had been experiencing depression and was worried it would cost him his pilot’s license. He wrote to his parents that life without flying was not worth living.

Hauser’s death by suicide fueled fresh urgency by the administration of the flight school at UND to address the stigma among student aviators around seeking mental health counseling. Robert Kraus, dean of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at UND, told host Cathy Wurzer about the effort.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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