On November 1, 2026, a Learjet 60 crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing all nine people aboard.
It's a heartbreaking tragedy. Nine lives were lost, families are grieving, and investigators are working to understand what went wrong.
As a therapist who specializes in helping people overcome their fear of flying, I know how much an accident like this can affect people who are already anxious about getting on a plane. Even those who have made significant progress with their flight anxiety may find themselves questioning whether flying is safe.
So I understand why aviation professionals and fear-of-flying experts want to offer reassurance following a tragedy.
But some of the commentary I've seen in the days following this crash has left me deeply troubled.
Not because people are discussing what might have happened. Those conversations are important.
It's the confidence with which some are assigning blame, dismissing the qualifications of the pilots, and making sweeping promises about what could or couldn't happen on other aircraft.
And when those statements come from people who have built careers around helping others overcome their fear of flying, I think we need to take a closer look at whether that approach is actually helpful.
The Problem With Assigning Blame Before We Have the Facts
Just one day after the Learjet 60 crash, a prominent figure in the fear-of-flying community published commentary declaring:
"The cause was the pilot."
The commentary went on to describe decisions supposedly made by an inexperienced female pilot, suggesting she had knowingly flown directly into a dangerous thunderstorm.
There's just one problem.
The investigation had barely begun.
The person being blamed was the co-pilot, and the information available did not establish who was controlling the aircraft or who made the decisions being criticized.
The author later acknowledged that his initial reporting was misleading, explaining that he had wanted to get information out quickly to alleviate people's concerns about flying.
I can appreciate wanting to help people feel less afraid. But I have a hard time accepting that as justification for presenting speculation as fact, particularly when we're talking about people who have just lost their lives.
And the subsequent commentary didn't stop there.
"There were no real pilots on this plane," he wrote.
What does that even mean?
According to FAA certification records reviewed by aviation reporting, the captain held an airline transport pilot certificate and a Learjet 60 type rating. The co-pilot held a commercial pilot certificate and a restricted Learjet 60 type rating. Both were certified flight instructors.
That doesn't tell us whether mistakes were made during the flight. But it certainly challenges the suggestion that these weren't legitimate pilots.
And here's what bothers me most: These individuals are no longer here to explain their decisions or defend themselves.
There will be a time to examine what went wrong, including any potential human errors. That's an essential part of improving aviation safety.
But there's a difference between learning from an accident and deciding who's responsible before the investigation is complete.
What Do We Actually Know About the Learjet 60 Crash?
As of November 4, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has not determined the cause of the accident.
We know the crew reported icing and turbulence before the aircraft entered a rapid descent.
Investigators have also recovered pieces of the aircraft's left elevator, a component involved in controlling the aircraft's pitch, several miles from the crash site.
What investigators don't yet know is whether that separation contributed to the loss of control or occurred as a result of forces acting on the aircraft during its descent.
Weather conditions, aircraft systems, crew actions, and other factors remain part of the investigation.
In other words, there are important questions that still need answers.
And that's okay.
We don't need to rush to fill in the gaps with our own conclusions.
Not knowing what happened yet isn't a failure to explain the accident. It's an acknowledgment that determining the cause requires evidence.
Are We Helping Fearful Flyers or Giving Them More Reasons to Be Afraid?
Beyond the premature blame, there's another aspect of this commentary that concerns me.
The same expert went on to suggest that private charter aircraft and their pilots are not to be trusted in the same way as commercial airlines, making broad claims about the experience and qualifications of charter pilots.
He also stated that what happened to this Learjet could never happen to an airliner.
I understand the intention here. Commercial aviation has extensive safety systems, training requirements, and regulatory oversight. There are meaningful differences between aircraft and aviation operations, and it's reasonable to discuss those differences.
But there's a big difference between explaining why commercial aviation has a strong safety record and suggesting that an entire category of pilots or aircraft should be avoided.
Think about what that message might communicate to someone who already struggles with fear of flying.
Maybe they've finally worked up the courage to take a commercial flight. Now they're invited to travel on a smaller charter aircraft for work or with friends.
Are we helping them make an informed decision about that opportunity? Or have we just given them another reason to be afraid?
I'm not suggesting that every type of flying carries the same level of risk. It doesn't. Aircraft, operators, pilot qualifications, and operating conditions all matter.
But making broad, alarmist statements about entire categories of aviation isn't the same as helping someone understand those differences.
And it certainly isn't the same as helping someone overcome a phobia.
Why Promising That Something "Could Never Happen" Doesn't Solve Flight Anxiety
One of the challenges with treating fear of flying is that anxiety is remarkably good at finding exceptions.
You can tell someone that commercial aviation is incredibly safe.
You can explain the training pilots receive, the systems built into aircraft, and the procedures designed to prevent accidents.
And all of that information may be helpful.
But eventually, the anxious mind asks:
"Yeah, but what if?"
"What if something goes wrong anyway?"
"What if I'm on the one flight where something terrible happens?"
And the reality is, we can't promise that nothing bad will ever happen.
That's true of flying, driving, traveling, and just about everything else we do in life.
When someone asks me, "How do I know my plane won't crash?" my answer isn't to convince them that a crash is impossible.
It's to acknowledge that we don't know with 100% certainty.
We can look at the evidence. We can understand that commercial airline travel carries a very low risk of a fatal accident. We can make an informed decision about whether that risk is reasonable.
But we cannot eliminate every last bit of uncertainty.
And for many people struggling with flight anxiety, it's that 1% of uncertainty that keeps them stuck.
There's a Difference Between Aviation Education and Reassurance Seeking
I want to be clear about something: I'm not opposed to educating fearful flyers about aviation safety.
In fact, aviation education is part of how we approach fear-of-flying treatment at State of Mind Therapy.
For someone who doesn't understand how turbulence works, what certain aircraft noises mean, or how pilots prepare for different conditions, learning some of the basics can be genuinely helpful.
Education can fill gaps in understanding and correct inaccurate assumptions.
But there's a point where learning becomes something else.
Maybe you've already spent hours researching turbulence, watching videos about aircraft safety, or reading accident reports.
You understand the information, but you still don't feel certain enough.
So you keep searching.
You find one explanation that helps you feel better, only to encounter another frightening headline that sends you right back down the rabbit hole.
This is where reassurance seeking can become part of the anxiety cycle.
The more you rely on having every question answered before you feel comfortable flying, the more difficult it can become to tolerate the questions that don't have definitive answers.
At some point, we have to practice trust.
Not blind trust. Not pretending risks don't exist.
But recognizing when we have enough information to make a reasonable decision without needing to understand or control every possible outcome.
How to Respond to Flight Anxiety After a Plane Crash
When a major aviation accident makes headlines, it's understandable that fearful flyers may experience an increase in anxiety.
If you've noticed your anxiety increasing after recent aviation news, we've also written about how to manage fear of flying after a plane crash.
You might find yourself replaying footage, reading every new article, or questioning whether you should cancel an upcoming trip.
And because the accident is so recent and emotionally significant, it can begin to feel as though something similar is now more likely to happen to you.
But an event being highly visible doesn't necessarily mean your personal risk has meaningfully changed.
Our brains tend to give more weight to frightening, memorable events than to the countless ordinary experiences that don't make the news.
Think about how many flights arrive safely every day without generating a headline.
We rarely give those flights much thought.
But when a tragedy occurs, our attention shifts almost entirely toward what went wrong.
That's an important thinking pattern to recognize, especially when you're making decisions about whether to fly.
In exposure therapy, we help people notice the ways they're responding to fear and whether those responses are helping them move forward or keeping them stuck.
That might mean practicing sitting with unanswered questions rather than immediately searching for reassurance.
It might mean reducing the amount of time spent researching aviation accidents.
Or it might mean continuing with a planned flight, even when anxiety is telling you that you need to feel more certain first.
We also help people practice tolerating uncertainty in other areas of their lives.
Because the truth is, we already accept some level of risk every day.
We drive to work. We send our kids to school. We make plans for the future without knowing exactly how things will unfold.
We don't demand absolute certainty in all of those situations before participating in life.
And we can learn to approach flying with that same flexibility.
The goal of exposure therapy isn't to convince you that flying is risk-free.
It's to help you respond differently to fear so that anxiety doesn't get to make every decision for you.
We Can Respect This Tragedy Without Letting Fear Write the Story
I believe we have a responsibility to be thoughtful about how we discuss aviation accidents, especially when speaking to people who are already afraid.
We can acknowledge that a terrible tragedy occurred.
We can respect the people who lost their lives and the families who are grieving.
We can allow investigators to do their work and hold people accountable if the evidence ultimately supports that conclusion.
And we can continue helping fearful flyers understand that aviation safety is taken seriously without making promises that no one can guarantee.
What we don't need to do is rush to assign blame, dismiss entire categories of pilots, or convince people that the only way to feel safe is to eliminate every possible risk.
Fearful flyers deserve accurate information, compassionate communication, and treatment that helps them build confidence in the face of uncertainty—not just another promise that nothing bad could ever happen.
Because overcoming fear of flying isn't about finding a guarantee.
It's about learning that you can make informed decisions, accept reasonable risk, and keep participating in the experiences that matter to you, even when certainty isn't available.
Need Help Facing Your Fear of Flying?
Learning to respond differently to flight anxiety takes practice. And sometimes, the most helpful place to start is at the airport itself.
Our MSP Airport Fear of Flying Workshop gives you the opportunity to experience the airport environment, sit on an aircraft, and practice managing anxiety alongside others who understand what you're going through.
