RAF pilot too ‘scared to seek medical help’
AN RAF pilot who was found dead in his home was stuck in a real-life “Catch 22” because he feared discussing his mental health problems would ruin his career, his wife told an inquest.
Gillian De Candole is calling on the Armed Forces to offer more support for airmen after the death of Sqn Ldr Nicholas “Candles” De Candole.
Sqn Ldr De Candole, 40, was found hanged in his garage and an inquest heard the reasons for his death remain unknown. But his wife told the hearing that if he had been depressed or stressed by his job, he would have been too scared to discuss this with medical staff.
She said speaking to the doctor about mental health problems “would effectively end any chance he had of flying again”.
In Joseph Heller’s novel Catch 22, pilots feel they cannot discuss the true state of their mental health with officials.
Terence Moore, the assistant coroner for Avon, recorded a narrative conclusion.