I lost my son in a plane crash in 2022. As painful as this loss is, there is certainty that the tragedy could have been avoided. João Augusto Hjertquist Tremeschin, or simply Guto, was a pilot and was 37 years old when he was supposed to be on board a helicopter that crashed in the Cantareira mountain range, in São Paulo, five minutes after takeoff.
The commander was ill, suffering from depression. A report from the Legal Medical Institute identified the presence of cocaine, clonazepam, venlafaxine and zolpidem in his system. Obviously, a pilot under the influence of drugs puts lives in danger. It is precisely for this reason that the authorities’ lack of interest in preventing this from happening is puzzling.
Nobody was punished. The public prosecutor closed the case because it understood that it would not be possible to hold any representative of the company responsible for putting a sick pilot at the controls of the plane. Even in aviation, where the maxim “no plane crashes for just one reason” applies. And where there are protocols on hierarchy and roles.
The employee’s depression was known to the company. Due to the lack of investigation, it is impossible to know whether the return to work was medically supported.
The argument prevailed that, being a private aircraft, RBAC 120 (Drug Abuse Prevention Program), intended for businesses and air taxis, would not be applicable. In other words: the company did not inspect its pilot simply because it understood that it was not its obligation.
Furthermore, without investigation, there is no conclusion on the irregular use of an aircraft that was denied operation as an air taxi. My son was only in the helicopter because there was a contract to provide services of this nature. In court, the owner of the plane declared that she had transferred it free of charge. And that was it.
After three years, Cenipa (Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center) recognized that the effects of the drugs on the commander’s body may have compromised his cognitive ability and consciousness. But the organization, which has the word “prevention” in its name, has made no safety recommendations on the control of toxic substances in aviation.
Anac (National Civil Aviation Agency) does not require a toxicological test to issue or revalidate the Aeronautical Medical Certificate. No CMA has ever been revoked or suspended due to drug use. Anac doesn’t even know how many pilots have already undergone toxicology tests. When analyzing the issue in 2020, due to another accident in which drug use was identified, the agency realized the requirement would be ineffective because the test would not detect narcotics after 32 hours. This makes no sense: the toxicological test for drivers planned since 2015, recently extended to all categories, is capable of detecting consumption within three to six months.
Add to that a routine far removed from the glamor associated with aviation: stress, long hours and pressure to perform deteriorate the mental health of professionals. Just like the captain in the tragedy that killed my son, there are other pilots who work in these conditions.
A Harvard University study found that 12% of pilots suffer from depression and keep silent for fear of career consequences. A 2024 study published by the University of Oxford showed that this figure is as high as 18%.
I won’t get my son back, but his death couldn’t be in vain. There is therefore an urgent need for a frank debate on mental health and the control of drug use in aviation. So that no one is outraged like me. So that new tragedies do not happen again.
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