SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Annie Vargas could see her son slipping away and pleaded with him to seek help. But her son, Brian Wittke, a 41-year-old Delta Air Lines pilot and father of three, pushed back, terrified that getting treatment for depression would cost him his license and livelihood.

The drop in air travel during the pandemic kept Wittke at home more and affected his mental health, Vargas told Reuters.

On the morning of June 14, 2022, Vargas tried to reach Wittke by text, but his location data was disabled. By the time it reappeared, Wittke had died by suicide in the Utah mountains near his home outside Salt Lake City.

Commercial airline pilots often conceal mental health conditions for fear that disclosing therapy or medication, or even just seeking help, could mean having thei

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