Photograph: Far Left: Captain David Hill, 2nd From Left: Flight Attendant Kimberly Sutherland, Far Right: First Officer Mick Fowler.

On 16th January 2010 a crew of 5 Flight Attendants and 2 Pilots checked-in for a round trip from Charlotte to Saint Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands). The aircraft was a 767 operated by US Airways (now merged with American Airlines). Flight Numbers: US1040/1041. The Captain on this flight was David Hill, the First Officer was Mick Fowler and one of the Flight Attendants was Kimberly Sutherland. 

On pushback from Charlotte a Fume Event occurred, but none of the crew knew what was happening, the fumes eventually dissipated and the flight continued. On the return leg from Saint Thomas to Charlotte another Fume Event occurred. The flight was met in Charlotte by 11 Ambulances and Fire Engines. All of the crew were taken to Carolina Presbyterian Hospital. 3 of the crew showed high Carbon Monoxide levels in their blood. 

Seven months after this ‘the FAA took away Capt. David Hill’s licence to fly because of the chronic ill health that followed that exposure. But despite that obvious and strong connection between the fumes and his cognitive problems, memory issues and other neurological symptoms, his airline denied his workers compensation claim (twice), which had a major impact on his well being, his access to appropriate health care and his family’s finances. On Friday 16th December 2016, the pain of his illness and everything that accompanies losing one’s career and one’s health became too much for him to bear and he ended his life. We have no doubt that had he not suffered that fumes exposure, and had the ‘system’ not treated him as it did, he would be alive and well today.’

First Officer Mick Fowler was also medically grounded and was also refused any workers compensation from his employer. Flight Attendant Kimberly Sutherland also no longer flies and suffers neurological problems associated with exposure to oil fumes/contaminated air onboard aircraft. 

Please sign and share this petition. The aim of this petition is to raise public awareness of the devastation that contaminated air onboard aircraft causes and to ensure that filters and sensors are fitted to bleed air aircraft to ensure that injuries and untimely deaths particularly amongst air crew and frequent fliers comes to an end.