Alone at controls, co-pilot sought to 'destroy' the plane

[Lite Beer]

Alone at controls, co-pilot sought to 'destroy' the plane

LORI HINNANT, Associated Press
DAVE McHUGH, Associated Press


PARIS (AP) — Ignoring the captain's frantic pounding on the door, the co-pilot of the Germanwings jet barricaded himself inside the cockpit and deliberately rammed the plane full speed into the French Alps as passengers screamed in terror, a prosecutor said Thursday.

In a split second, all 150 people aboard were dead.

Andreas Lubitz's "intention (was) to destroy this plane," Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said, laying out the horrifying conclusions French investigators reached after listening to the final minutes of Tuesday's Flight 9525 from the plane's black box voice data recorder.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the conclusions brought the tragedy to a "new, simply incomprehensible dimension."

The prosecutor said there was no indication of terrorism, though he did not say why investigators do not suspect a political motive. The inquiry is instead focusing on the co-pilot's "personal, family and professional environment" to try to determine why he did it, Robin said.

The Airbus A320 was flying from Barcelona to Duesseldorf when it lost radio contact with air traffic controllers and began dropping from its cruising altitude of 38,000 feet. The prosecutor said Lubitz did not say a word as he manually set the plane on an eight-minute descent into the craggy French mountainside that pulverized the plane.

He said the German co-pilot's responses, initially courteous in the first part of the trip, became "curt" when the captain began the mid-flight briefing on the planned landing.

Robin said the pilot, who has not been identified, left the cockpit when the plane reached cruising altitude, presumably to go to the lavatory. Then the 28-year-old co-pilot took control of the jet as requested.

"When he was alone, the co-pilot manipulated the buttons of the flight monitoring system to initiate the aircraft's descent," Robin said.

The pilot knocked several times "without response," the prosecutor said, adding that the cockpit door can only be blocked manually from the inside.

The co-pilot said nothing from the moment the captain left, Robin said. "It was absolute silence in the cockpit."

The A320 is designed with safeguards to allow emergency entry into the cockpit if a pilot inside is unresponsive. But the override code known to the crew does not go into effect — and indeed goes into a lockdown — if the person inside the cockpit specifically denies entry.

During the flight's final minutes, pounding could be heard on the cockpit door as the plane's instrument alarms sounded. But the co-pilot's breathing was calm, Robin said.

"You don't get the impression that there was any particular panic, because the breathing is always the same. The breathing is not panting. It's a classic, human breathing," Robin said.

No distress call ever went out from the cockpit, and the control tower's pleas for a response went unanswered.

Air traffic control cleared the area to allow the plane to make an emergency landing if needed, and asked other planes to try to make contact. The French air force scrambled a fighter jet to try to head off the crash.

Just before the plane hit the mountain, passengers' cries of terror could be heard on the voice recorder.

"The victims realized just at the last moment," Robin said. "We can hear them screaming."

The victims' families "are having a hard time believing it," he added.

Many families visited an Alpine clearing Thursday where French authorities had set up a viewing tent for victims' relatives to look toward the site of the crash, so steep and treacherous that it can only be reached by a long journey on foot or rappelling from a helicopter.

Lubitz's family was in France but was being kept separate from the other families, Robin said.

Helicopters shuttled back and forth form the crash site Thursday, as investigators continued retrieving remains and pieces of the plane, shattered from the high-speed impact of the crash.

The prosecutor's account prompted calls for stricter cockpit rules. Airlines in Europe are not required to have two people in the cockpit at all times, unlike the standard U.S. operating procedure, which was changed after the 9/11 attacks to require a flight attendant to take the spot of a briefly departing pilot.

European budget airlines Norwegian Air Shuttle and EasyJet, as well as Air Canada, announced Thursday that they were adopting new rules requiring two crew members to always be present in the cockpit.

French prosecutors' assertion that this week's air crash was a deliberate act of the co-pilot, points to the possible need for a third pilot in airline cockpits, several aviation safety experts said.

"The flight deck is capable of accommodating three pilots and there shouldn't ever be a situation where there is only one person in the cockpit," said James Hall, a former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, referring to the "jump seats" all airliners are equipped with.

Neither the prosecutor nor Lufthansa indicated there was anything the pilot could have done to avoid the crash.

Robin would not give details on the co-pilot's religion or his ethnic background. German authorities were taking charge of the investigation into him.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said that before Thursday's shocking revelations, the airline was already "appalled" by what had happened in its low-cost subsidiary.

"I could not have imagined that becoming even worse," he said in Cologne. "We choose our cockpit staff very, very carefully."

Lubitz joined Germanwings in September 2013, directly out of flight school, and had flown 630 hours. Spohr said the airline had no indication why he would have crashed the plane.

Lubitz underwent a regular security check on Jan. 27 and it found nothing untoward, and previous security checks in 2008 and 2010 also showed no issues, the local government in Duesseldorf said.

Lufthansa's chief said Lubitz started training in 2008 and there was a "several-month" gap in his training six years ago. Spohr said he couldn't say what the reason was, but after the break "he not only passed all medical tests but also his flight training, all flying tests and checks."

Robin avoided describing the crash as a suicide.

"Usually, when someone commits suicide, he is alone," he said. "When you are responsible for 150 people at the back, I don't necessarily call that a suicide."

In the German town of Montabaur, acquaintances told The Associated Press that Lubitz appeared normal and happy when they saw him last fall as he renewed his glider pilot's license.

"He was happy he had the job with Germanwings and he was doing well," said a member of the glider club, Peter Ruecker, who watched Lubitz learn to fly. "He gave off a good feeling."

Lubitz had obtained his glider pilot's license as a teenager, and was accepted as a Lufthansa pilot trainee after finishing a tough German college preparatory school, Ruecker said. He described Lubitz as "rather quiet" but friendly.

Lubitz's Facebook page, deleted sometime in the past two days, showed a smiling man in a dark brown jacket posing in front of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The Facebook page was restored after the French prosecutor's news conference.
___

McHugh reported from Montabaur, Germany. David Rising in Berlin and Alan Clendenning in Madrid contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-03-26

[JOC]

If true, I hope he will burn in hell!!

[zydeco]

I'm beginning to suspect that all is not well inside the German airline industry. First, you have a group of Germanwings pilots refuse to fly their planes after this crash. Adolf Galland, they're not. And, now, the keys to a plane with 149 people on it being given over to a 28 year old just two years out of the company flight school. Soft, soft, soft. Not exactly the same sort of stuff that went into Ernst Udet, who had the decency to do himself in while alone. These Germans seem emotionally fragile, sloppy, and downright weak.

Edited March 26, 2015 by zydeco

[JOC]

I'm beginning to suspect that all is not well inside the German airline industry. First, you have a group of Germanwings pilots refuse to fly their planes after this crash. Adolf Galland, they're not. And, now, the keys to a plane with 149 people on it being given over to a 28 year old just two years out of the company flight school. Soft, soft, soft. Not exactly the same sort of stuff that went into Ernst Udet, who had the decency to do himself in while alone. These Germans seem emotionally fragile, sloppy, and downright weak.

What a load of nonsense!!

So because of one nutcase you classify all German pilots as emotionally fragile??

Are you German....................................

[Goshawk]

jeez . . . !

[zydeco]

I'm beginning to suspect that all is not well inside the German airline industry. First, you have a group of Germanwings pilots refuse to fly their planes after this crash. Adolf Galland, they're not. And, now, the keys to a plane with 149 people on it being given over to a 28 year old just two years out of the company flight school. Soft, soft, soft. Not exactly the same sort of stuff that went into Ernst Udet, who had the decency to do himself in while alone. These Germans seem emotionally fragile, sloppy, and downright weak.

What a load of nonsense!!

So because of one nutcase you classify all German pilots as emotionally fragile??

Are you German....................................

No, not just because of ONE pilot. Can't you READ!!!!! I referred to an entire group of German pilots wetting their pants in the aftermath of this crash and refusing to fly.

[Suradit69]

I can sympathize with someone who feels so stressed out that he wants to end his own life, but how anyone can plan to take 150 men, women and especially children with him suggests that the airlines need to tighten up the psychological screening ... and ensure that a single person is never left alone in the cockpit.

[Jingthing]

The accused copilot, ironically posed at the Golden Gate Bride, a famous site for suicides:

[robblok]

I'm beginning to suspect that all is not well inside the German airline industry. First, you have a group of Germanwings pilots refuse to fly their planes after this crash. Adolf Galland, they're not. And, now, the keys to a plane with 149 people on it being given over to a 28 year old just two years out of the company flight school. Soft, soft, soft. Not exactly the same sort of stuff that went into Ernst Udet, who had the decency to do himself in while alone. These Germans seem emotionally fragile, sloppy, and downright weak.

What a load of nonsense!!

So because of one nutcase you classify all German pilots as emotionally fragile??

Are you German....................................

Actually its good that the pilots did not fly.. they might have felt stressed after this accident. They lost two coworkers who they might have known well. Stressed people make mistakes.. that is something you don't want on a plane. So in a way they chose for safety.

If you loose close co worker in general it will impact you and sure you can act tough and step over it.. but if that causes you to make errors. That would be real bad.

(just speculating here on the reason but seems valid enough)

[Jingthing]

How do they know he didn't have a freak medical event?

[Tywais]

How do they know he didn't have a freak medical event?

The aircraft was specifically and intentionally put into a rapid descent configuration. Only if the 'medical event' was psychotic would that occur. Plus the fact that passenger jet pilots are required to go through a stringent medical examination. Every 6 months I believe if under FAA ruling.

[NeverSure]

How do they know he didn't have a freak medical event?

They monitor his breathing and it was normal.

He deliberately locked the captain out of the cockpit/flight deck. He wasn't too ill to do that or to manipulate the controls to put the plane into a sharp descent. Both of those have to be done deliberately.

Experts and officials are calling this deliberate.

[slightlychilled]

He must have had a "psychotic" moment. I don't see how a suicide could have been planned as there is no way he could have predicted that the pilot would need a bathroom break and that he would be left in the cockpit alone.

[alex8912]

This is just so disturbing. What a coward. I feel so sorry for the families of these innocent people who were so terrified in their final moments of life. RIP.

[yankee99]

I'm beginning to suspect that all is not well inside the German airline industry. First, you have a group of Germanwings pilots refuse to fly their planes after this crash. Adolf Galland, they're not. And, now, the keys to a plane with 149 people on it being given over to a 28 year old just two years out of the company flight school. Soft, soft, soft. Not exactly the same sort of stuff that went into Ernst Udet, who had the decency to do himself in while alone. These Germans seem emotionally fragile, sloppy, and downright weak.

What a load of nonsense!!

So because of one nutcase you classify all German pilots as emotionally fragile??

Are you German....................................

Actually its good that the pilots did not fly.. they might have felt stressed after this accident. They lost two coworkers who they might have known well. Stressed people make mistakes.. that is something you don't want on a plane. So in a way they chose for safety.

If you loose close co worker in general it will impact you and sure you can act tough and step over it.. but if that causes you to make errors. That would be real bad.

(just speculating here on the reason but seems valid enough)

I dont want a pilot that cant deal with stress 24/7 no matter how emotional he may be.

[Alwyn]

I've been following this all day on the news. At 2pm (UK) They were saying it seemed like a controlled descent as it took 8 minutes after the co-pilot took control. He has no history of links to terrorism. They were saying there is no proof the co-pilot was deliberately trying to crash the airplane. That was a couple of hours ago. RIP to the fallen.

[Alwyn]

I've been following this all day on the news. At 2pm (UK) They were saying it seemed like a controlled descent as it took 8 minutes after the co-pilot took control. He has no history of links to terrorism. They were saying there is no proof the co-pilot was deliberately trying to crash the airplane. That was a couple of hours ago. RIP to the fallen.

Update: 5pm news they have revised their conclusion and it was deliberate.

[slightlychilled]

I dont want a pilot that cant deal with stress 24/7 no matter how emotional he may be.

I suggest you don't fly again then until robots are sitting at the controls in the cockpits.

[fritzzz25]

http://forum.flightradar24.com/threads/8650-We-have-analysed-the-raw-data-from-the-transponder-of-4U9525-and-found-some-more-dat?p=64616

This will tell you about the programming of the autopilot settings. Deliberate actions by the person at the controls.

[pattayasnowman]

Apparently the Computer Flight Mangement system was reset manually to descend from 38,000ft to 96 ft.

The cabin door was kept locked from inside and in this 'locked' position cannot be overridden from outside

Edited March 26, 2015 by pattayasnowman

[kjhbigv]

Zero sympathy, what an a**ehole! Just think how you would feel today, if one of your loved ones was on that plane?

Selfish little ****!

By all means, "top" yourself BUT taking 140 with you (including innocent kids)!!

[malcoml]

Now the religion please...

[Traveller45]

I'm beginning to suspect that all is not well inside the German airline industry. First, you have a group of Germanwings pilots refuse to fly their planes after this crash. Adolf Galland, they're not. And, now, the keys to a plane with 149 people on it being given over to a 28 year old just two years out of the company flight school. Soft, soft, soft. Not exactly the same sort of stuff that went into Ernst Udet, who had the decency to do himself in while alone. These Germans seem emotionally fragile, sloppy, and downright weak.

Hold it. Young co-pilots fresh out of training man (or wo-man) controls everywhere in the world. How do you think they earn their experience? Simulator? But no, they are not always up to their sort of image. I always mistrust sort of images and people and organisations who appear too perfect. I d gladly fly anytime with one of those half-drunk Ukrainians who fly the UN planes in Congo. They d never do such a thing.

[Anthony5]

I'm beginning to suspect that all is not well inside the German airline industry. First, you have a group of Germanwings pilots refuse to fly their planes after this crash. Adolf Galland, they're not. And, now, the keys to a plane with 149 people on it being given over to a 28 year old just two years out of the company flight school. Soft, soft, soft. Not exactly the same sort of stuff that went into Ernst Udet, who had the decency to do himself in while alone. These Germans seem emotionally fragile, sloppy, and downright weak.

What a load of nonsense!!

So because of one nutcase you classify all German pilots as emotionally fragile??

Are you German....................................

Actually its good that the pilots did not fly.. they might have felt stressed after this accident. They lost two coworkers who they might have known well. Stressed people make mistakes.. that is something you don't want on a plane. So in a way they chose for safety.

If you loose close co worker in general it will impact you and sure you can act tough and step over it.. but if that causes you to make errors. That would be real bad.

(just speculating here on the reason but seems valid enough)

The pilots refused to fly because some safety measures long overdue. Think it had to do with a filter to be installed to prevent oil vapors from the engine being able to enter the cabin.

[balo]

The accused copilot, ironically posed at the Golden Gate Bride, a famous site for suicides:

copilot.jpg

I wish he could have jumped and finished his life if it was that miserable , then 150 souls would have been alive today.

[Ayutthaya11]

You will probably find out within a few days it was religiously motivated. My guess once again, Islam. Possible convert with extremist views.

I'm mean there are so many ways you could kill yourself without taking 150 people with you.

Also you can't exactly rule out my theory in this day and age especially when you come from a city in the world where we practically breed them almost coming off a production line by the dozen.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Ashley1982

[george]

UPDATE
A look at the nationalities of victims in France jet crash
The Associated Press, ac

There were 150 passengers and crew aboard the plane that crashed Tuesday in the French Alps. Germany's Foreign Ministry on Thursday came up with its first complete list of their nationalities, which was complicated to compile because some have dual nationality.

Here's a breakdown, listing first those people with one nationality and then those with dual citizenship:

— 71 Germans.
— 48 Spaniards.
— 3 Argentines.
— 3 Americans.
— 2 Australians.
— 2 British.
— 2 Colombians
— 2 Iranians
— 1 Belgian.
— 1 Dane.
— 1 Dutch.
— 1 Japanese.
— 1 Mexican.
— 1 Moroccan.
— 1 Venezuelan.

----

— 3 German/Kazakh
— 1 German/Japanese
— 1 Spanish/British
— 1 Spanish/Israeli
— 1 Spanish/Moroccan
— 1 Spanish/Mexican
— 1 Venezuelan/Chilean
— 1 nationality unclear


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-03-27

[uptheos]

He must have had a "psychotic" moment. I don't see how a suicide could have been planned as there is no way he could have predicted that the pilot would need a bathroom break and that he would be left in the cockpit alone.

Not necessarily, some people just wait for the right moment.

His thinking could be 'the next flight that I'm left alone, will be the one'.

[Pheat123]

I'm beginning to suspect that all is not well inside the German airline industry. First, you have a group of Germanwings pilots refuse to fly their planes after this crash. Adolf Galland, they're not. And, now, the keys to a plane with 149 people on it being given over to a 28 year old just two years out of the company flight school. Soft, soft, soft. Not exactly the same sort of stuff that went into Ernst Udet, who had the decency to do himself in while alone. These Germans seem emotionally fragile, sloppy, and downright weak.

Germans emotionally fragile

I think not

Are you some sort of retard?

Many people have lost their lives

[ABCer]

Quotes from OP:

• "Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz's "intention (was) to destroy this plane,"
• " Lubitz, a 28-year-old German, manually set the plane on the descent that drove it into the mountain."
• "... co-pilot said nothing from the moment the commanding pilot left."
• "... the override code known to the crew does not go into effect — and indeed goes into a lockdown — if the person inside the cockpit specifically denies entry..."
• "The circumstances of the crash are likely to raise questions anew about the possibility of suicidal pilots."
• "In the 1999 crash of an EgyptAir jet off Nantucket that killed all 217 people on board, U.S. investigators found the co-pilot intentionally caused the plane to go down despite the pilot's efforts to regain control."
• "CEO Spohr said: "We choose our cockpit staff very, very carefully."
• " Lubitz had never been flagged as a terrorist and would not give details on his religion or ethnic background."

Call me heartless for not joining the RIP brigade - costs little and is worth even less.

Call me paranoid if you are more confident in your own mental condition.

But the circumstances, facts and opinions quoted above do not seem to me supporting "psychotic" version.

Also they do not seamlessly stitch together IMHO. I'm afraid I smell a rat here.

European Laws forbid disclosure of details related to ethnicity, religion etc. of this Andreas Lubitz.

He was (?) permitted not to give details of his ethnic and religious background when trained and employed (?).

Bingo! I do not like this! Whether it is true or false...

Edited March 26, 2015 by ABCer