Are pilot deaths up 1,700% after vax mandates? No, that's not true: The erroneous claim is based on an "In Memoriam" list that was published in the Air Line Pilots Association magazine that shows that more pilots died in 2021 than in 2020 and 2019. "The information in one magazine edition does not provide a complete report of the total losses for each of the listed years," the organization said. The list also does not represent all current pilots, and the cause of death is not specified.
The claim appeared in an article published by the Hal Turner Radio Show on December 8, 2021, titled "Pilot Deaths Up 1700% after Vax Mandates" (archived here). It opened:
The deaths of airline pilots skyrocketed seventeen-hundred percent (1700%) during the first nine months of 2021.
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Pilot Deaths Up 1700% after Vax Mandates
The deaths of airline pilots skyrocketed seventeen-hundred percent (1700%) during the first nine months of 2021.
The article continued:
Within the industry, other pilots are saying is is due to the COVID-19 vaccines causing blood clots, leading to strokes and heart attacks.
Pilots were coerced into taking the COVID-19 shots under threat of losing their jobs.
Pilot Deaths:
2019: 1
2020: 6
2021: 109 (through September)
Industry trade publications are covering the news . . .
The industry publication covering the news is the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l, representing more than 61,000 pilots at 38 U.S. and Canadian airlines, according to their website. ALPA referred Lead Stories on December 9, 2021, to the statement posted on their verified Twitter account @ALPAPilots:
In every edition of Air Line Pilot magazine, we honor ALPA pilots - both active and retired - who have flown west. Based on verified information provided by their families, we reported the loss of more pilots in both 2019 and 2020 than in 2021. We report the losses in our magazine as we receive information from the families. The information in one magazine edition does not provide a complete report of the total losses for each of the listed years. We salute every member for their service and honor their memories.
Here is what the tweet looked like on social media:
-- Air Line Pilots Association (@ALPAPilots) December 9, 2021
There is no proof that any of the pilots on the list died after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Lead Stories has debunked multiple stories regarding false claims regarding airline pilots dying after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine here as well as other related claims regarding airlines and pilots in a search recreated here.
