FAQ Foundation

Accidents are very rare in aviation. But if something does happen, emergency aid for the accident victim and his/her next-of-kin must be provided quickly and efficiently, without the hassles of undue delay.

In 1994 there was a fatal crash involving a 44 year old Russian test pilot named Alexander S. Vyatkin on the day before the opening of the ILA (Internationale Luftfahrt Ausstellung – International Aviation Exhibition) in Berlin. His death left his wife and two children in financial distress in their hometown of Moscow. Pilots, exhibitors and international organizations at ILA immediately began to donate money for his family. The huge success of this “Mission Alexander” encouraged pilots present at the ILA to launch the Mayday Foundation.

Yes, other national and international support networks exist. They often have different names in different countries, for example there are Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT),  post-incident stress recovery teams,  and emergency counseling teams. The Mayday Foundation works in close collaboration with these teams on a case-by-case basis.

Internationally, we are cross-linked with the International Critical Incident Foundation, INC. (ICISF), the support teams of Airlines, Employee Unions (e.g. TWU – Transport Workers Union or ALPA – Airline Pilot Association), and the United Nations (UNDSS – United Nations Departement of Safety and Security).

The Mayday Foundation supports all current and former aviation license holders and their next-of-kin who are in distress after an incident or accident. Support will be given upon request by the person concerned. The Board of Directors decides after a review of the law-situation and available funds , whether and how the foundation will support the person concerned.

In times of distress, material support is often a priority, but by itself it is not a sufficient form of support.  Often, personal and friendly assistance is more important than money. For this reason, the Foundation works together with lawyers, social workers and other specialists to provide the necessary support. Support provided through counseling varies with each individual circumstance, and may take the form of one conversation only or years of support.

The Foundation helps regardless of guilt or innocence, the cause of the accident, and issues pursuant to insurance law. Often, the Foundation assists by obtaining a “second opinion” from lawyers, aviation experts and physicians.

Within an aviation context, air crews are occasionally exposed to situations which they may personally perceive as life threatening or stressful beyond their normal experience. It has been shown that in most incidents of this nature, the normal reaction is to experience high levels of stress, which generally diminish within a matter of days. If, however, the stress is not adequately dealt with, there is the possibility of long-term illness manifesting itself in the form of a diminished quality of life, incapacity for employment and, in extreme cases, a chronic condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, drug-abuse or a mixture of these, which is very difficult to treat. The Mayday Foundation’s CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) scheme has been devised to deal with such critical situations. If CISM proves to be inadequate or only partially adequate to adequately address the situation, our counselors will make every effort to ensure that the client receives suitable therapy from a qualified therapist at the earliest opportunity.

Yes. The Foundation is legally considered a charitable, non-profit organization.

Our account is managed by the Frankfurter Sparkasse (BIC: HELADEF1822).
(IBAN: DE36 5005 0201 0000 0044 40)

Yes, an appointment can be made at any time.

Stiftung Mayday

Email: info@stiftung-mayday.de or via our contact form (Contact)

For questions concerning CISM addressed to a CISM-Coordinator please use our contact form or our 24/7 hotline: +49 151 2240 7703