When Plane Crash Headlines Shake You: Why Logic Isn’t Enough to Calm Flight Anxiety

You were doing okay.

You had a trip coming up. You were starting to feel a little more confident about flying. Maybe you’d even taken some real steps forward—researching fear of flying courses, practicing coping skills, or booking a flight you’d been putting off.

And then… that headline.

Maybe it was the recent crash in India. Or maybe it was another story that suddenly popped into your feed.

Either way, your brain did what anxious brains do:
“See? This is exactly why I shouldn’t fly.”

Even if you know flying is statistically safe, logic doesn’t seem to help anymore. You’re stuck between what you know and what you feel—and now your anxiety has evidence.

If that’s where you are right now, then it’s important for you to know that this does not have to mean you are stuck. Keep reading to learn more. 

Let’s talk about what’s really going on when anxiety hijacks your progress, and how you can move through it without spiraling into avoidance.

1. Recognize the Spiral (It’s Not Proof—It’s Your Brain Doing Its Job)

When a rare event confirms your worst-case scenario, your brain zeroes in.
That’s called confirmation bias. Which means your mind selectively looks for things that match what you already fear and ignores the rest.

So after a crash, your thoughts might race:

“See? I knew it wasn’t safe.”
“Now I really can’t fly.”

But that’s only one story..

 This fear makes sense. And it doesn’t have to be the only story you listen to.

What else is true?
Over 70,000 commercial flights took off and landed safely that same day. Your fear is valid—but it’s not the full picture.

2. Let Yourself Feel (Without Letting Fear Take Over)

Yes, it’s upsetting. Yes, it's scary. And yes, your anxiety spikes when something like this happens. That doesn’t mean you’re stuck and can’t get through this. It means you're human, and your brain is trying to protect you.

Try saying to yourself:

“I feel scared right now, and that’s okay.”
“This news is upsetting, but I don’t have to change my plans.”

Feeling fear doesn’t mean you have to act on it. You can feel anxious and keep moving toward your goals.

3. Be Mindful of the Headlines You Feed Your Brain

Anxiety wants certainty.

It makes you think, “If I can just learn what happened, I’ll be able to avoid it next time.”

So you start down an internet rabbit hole reading all the articles, watching videos, and commenting in forums. You want to understand it all so you can feel safe again. But what happens instead?

You feel worse.

You get pulled into speculation and clickbait. Most early news coverage after a crash is emotional, attention-grabbing, and not based on facts. You’re left swimming in what-ifs and fear-driven commentary.

Meanwhile, the algorithm is watching.
Now you’re being fed more and more aviation content: past crashes, speculative theories, safety debates. It feels like crashes are everywhere—even though nothing in the real world has changed.

It might seem like you’re just reading stories…but what you’re doing is accidentally training your brain (and your browser) to stay stuck in fear.

And here's what makes it even harder: this spiral doesn’t actually offer clarity. It just floods your nervous system, increasing the obsession without reducing the anxiety.

Instead of clarity, you get consumed.
Instead of peace, you feel paralyzed.

So here’s your reminder:

Learning doesn’t help when you’re dysregulated. Wait until you're grounded and have allowed time to pass to get the facts. 

4. Don’t Start Making New “Safety Rules”

This one’s sneaky.

After a crash, it’s natural to want to regain control. So your brain might offer rules like:

• “Only fly this airline.”
  
  

• “Only sit in the back.”
  
  

• “That one guy survived in 11A—I’ll only sit there from now on.”
  
  

These rules might give temporary relief. But long-term, they reinforce the idea that flying is only safe if you do everything perfectly—which keeps you anxious and locked in control-based thinking.

And the truth is? That seat didn’t save him.
Survival in accidents is often random and unpredictable. Trying to replicate outcomes doesn’t make you safer. And it just feeds the illusion of control.

True progress means moving away from control and toward trust—in yourself, your skills, and your resilience.

Why Logic Isn’t Helping (And What to Do Instead)

If you’ve been telling yourself,

“I know flying is safe. I’ve seen the stats. But now this happened and I can’t stop thinking about it,”

…then you already know: logic isn’t enough.

Most people with flight anxiety are highly intelligent. You already know the facts.
But when fear shows up, logic alone can’t compete with the emotional part of your brain.

You get stuck in the tug-of-war between your desire to travel and your brain screaming “Don’t do it.”

This is where most people give up.
But this is actually where healing begins.

What NOT to Do After a Plane Crash Makes Headlines

Let’s be honest—there are a few things your brain really wants to do after seeing a scary aviation headline. And they all feel helpful in the moment... but usually make things worse.

Here’s what to avoid:

Don’t fall down the research rabbit hole.
You’re not getting facts—you’re getting fear.

Don’t cancel your trip out of panic.
Decide from a regulated place, not a reactive one.

Don’t compare crash survival stories.
Trying to mimic someone else's outcome won’t bring certainty—just more anxiety.

Don’t create rigid flying “rules” to protect yourself.
They don’t actually make you safer—they just shrink your world.

Instead? Step away from the media. Breathe. Reconnect with your why for flying in the first place.

What to Say to Yourself Instead

When fear is loud and facts aren’t landing, try gently shifting the way you talk to yourself.

Here are a few self-talk statements I teach my clients to practice:

✨ “This fear makes sense right now. It’s okay that I’m feeling this way.”
✨ “Yes, something scary happened—and thousands of flights are happening safely today too.”
✨ “Just because I’m anxious doesn’t mean I’m in danger.”
✨ “I’ve gotten through tough moments before. I can ride this wave too.”
✨ “I don’t have to wait for the fear to go away before I move forward.”
✨ “There’s still a part of me that wants to travel and live fully—I can listen to that part too.”

Self-talk isn’t about tricking yourself into calm—it’s about creating a little space between you and the fear. Enough space to choose what happens next.

If That’s Where You Are, You’re Not Broken—You’re Ready for a New Approach

This is the exact moment where the real work begins—not trying to erase the fear, but learning how to move forward with it.

In the Fearful Flyers Blueprint, that’s what we focus on.

You’ll learn how to:

• Respond when anxiety spikes—even after scary headlines
  
  

• Stop relying on logic and start building trust in your ability to ride the waves of fear
  
  

• Take action even when you’re uncomfortable (because that’s how confidence is built)
  
  

It’s not about eliminating anxiety. It’s about learning how to stop running from it.

Final Thoughts

These moments are hard. The fear is loud. The headlines are heavy.

But you are capable of more than just white-knuckling it through.

You don’t have to wait until you feel fearless.
You don’t have to cancel your trip just because anxiety showed up again.

It’s okay to feel anxious and still show up for the life you want.

You’re capable of more than just surviving the flight—you can learn to thrive through it.

Want to Start Handling Fear Differently?

If you’re tired of relying on logic and reassurance that doesn’t stick, and you're ready to learn the skills that actually help—start the Fearful Flyers Blueprint to change how you experience flying.