Germanwings cancels flight as pilots refuse to fly

[webfact]

Germanwings cancels flight as pilots refuse to fly

FRANKFURT (AFP) - A number of pilots at German low-cost airline Germanwings refused to fly Wednesday following the deadly crash in the French Alps, saying they were mourning the victims of the doomed aircraft.

A spokeswoman for Germanwings’ parent company, German flag carrier Lufthansa, said that "Lufthansa flights are going ahead as planned. One Germanwings flight has been cancelled because pilots don’t feel they are in a position to fly."

She declined to say how many pilots declined to work on Wednesday.

The flight cancelled was the connection from the western German city of Duesseldorf to Barcelona. The Airbus that crashed on Tuesday killing all 144 passengers and six crew was travelling to Duesseldorf from Barcelona.

A spokesman for the pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit, Joerg Handwerg, insisted the decision was not because of concerns about safety.

"It has nothing to do with safety. The pilots have friends and colleagues who have died," Handwerg said on public television.

"That is such a heavy emotional burden that it’s better not to get into the cockpit."

Already on Tuesday, Germanwings had reported "occasional flight disruptions within its route network" as pilots were too shocked to fly following the news of the crash of an A320 Germanwings jet.

It was the first fatal accident in the history of Germanwings, and the deadliest on the French mainland since 1974.

"We understand their decision," Germanwings executive Thomas Winkelmann said on Tuesday.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Germanwings-cancels-flight-as-pilots-refuse-to-fly-30256736.html


-- The Nation 2015-03-25

[Chicog]

As long as they don't know something we don't!

[zydeco]

Already on Tuesday, Germanwings had reported "occasional flight disruptions within its route network" as pilots were too shocked to fly following the news of the crash of an A320 Germanwings jet.

It's one thing to insist on a pause out of respect for the dead. But if these pilots are in mental shock and cannot work because of it, then that is not reassuring. The last thing you want is people who freeze up at the controls during a crisis.

[manarak]

Already on Tuesday, Germanwings had reported "occasional flight disruptions within its route network" as pilots were too shocked to fly following the news of the crash of an A320 Germanwings jet.

It's one thing to insist on a pause out of respect for the dead. But if these pilots are in mental shock and cannot work because of it, then that is not reassuring. The last thing you want is people who freeze up at the controls during a crisis.

not sure if pilot is the right career path for such persons.

[bangon04]

among the seemingly endless speculation about the incident, the CNN/New York Times are running a major speculation about one pilot being locked out of the cockpit by the other during the deliberate descent.

Also not good for pilot confidence...

[Rabbi]

I am not making any judgement but here is an Email from a Jetstar A320 captain on the German Wings crash

*************************

It begins to look horribly like the bulletin issued by Airbus as OEB 48 about frozen angle of attack probes has had another victim. The Air Asia A320 showed all the same symptoms. Just after finishing a climb and accelerating and a dive that was unrecoverable unless you pluck yourself off the ceiling and know to turn at least two of the three flight computers off and pull out smoothly from the dive. The simulator recreations are apparently so frightening from the plunge that no one has had the spare time to make a broadcast on the radio as it pitches down so violently.

Airbus has sent nothing to operators except to reinforce OEB 48 about an uncontrollable nose down pitch. I don't know if that means they have nothing or are too scared legally to say anything without having a fix.

I will send you anything technical that Airbus sends us.

http://www.airbus.com/crisis/

********************

[fvw53]

The pilots of the Luftwaffe and the RAF who were during WWII flying out every day, knew that after each mission a few of their friends who not come back...they did NOT have the modern "army of psychologists" to comfort them...they had no choice but to continue non stop for several years until they tooo died or came back in horrible conditions.

[Daniel Ingalls]

What I don't understand is why did the plane take a flight path over the French Alps? The flight path should of been more of a north eastern route. Over flat land an emergency landing would of been much better than just plowing into the jagged peaks of a mountain!

[laobali]

What I don't understand is why did the plane take a flight path over the French Alps? The flight path should of been more of a north eastern route. Over flat land an emergency landing would of been much better than just plowing into the jagged peaks of a mountain!

Are you serious?

[RT555]

Knowing you are working with mental terrorist.

[natway09]

C'm, the flight crews most likely knew not only the Captain but all the cabin crew as well.

Not a bad idea to have a couple of days rest to "get over it"

Even Lufthansa their boss understands