International and US aviation agencies say there is no data to suggest a surge in the number of pilots dying mid-flight following the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, despite numerous posts claiming the opposite on social media. And in response to such allegations, American Airlines said an online article stating it had canceled routes due to the deaths of pilots is false, noting that staff training in how to handle a pilot's incapacitation -- also a subject of hyperbolic online claims -- has been mandated for decades.

"American Airlines Ceases Multiple Routes: 'Our Pilots Are Dropping Dead From COVID Jabs,'" is the headline of a January 9, 2023 article on NewsPunch, a website formerly known as YourNewsWire, that has published misinformation and conspiracy theories in the past.

"Pilots now training to jump in if the other pilot 'DIES SUDDENLY', cuz its been happening enuf times now. That's fricken scary to fly now!" claims a December 14, 2022 Facebook post.

Several more posts sharing similar claims can be found on Instagram here, here and here, and on Twitter here, here and here.

Many of the posts use the term "died suddenly," when referring to the purported incidents, a reference to a conspiracy theory that the shots are causing mass deaths worldwide, a false allegation made in a film containing many erroneous claims about vaccines.

In 2021, similar speculation about pilots spread after various US airlines mandated vaccination for their employees. The requirements sparked ...

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