Co-pilot ‘wilfully’ crashed German airliner into Alps

Seyne-Les-Alpes (france), Mar 26

The young co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings flight deliberately crashed the plane into the French Alps after locking his captain out of the cockpit, but is not believed to be part of a terrorist plot, French officials said today.

The co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz (28), "deliberately" initiated the plane's descent, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin told a press conference in which he revealed the details of recordings made by the Airbus' cockpit flight recorder in the final minutes before the crash that killed all 150 aboard.

"The co-pilot is alone at the controls," Robin said. "He voluntarily refused to open the door of the cockpit to the pilot and voluntarily began the descent of the plane."

There was no immediate clue to the motive of the co-pilot, but investigators appeared to rule out terrorism. "At this moment, there is no indication that this is an act of terrorism," Robin said, adding that the co-pilot had no known terrorist connection. "He was not known to us."

Despite the horrifying scenario of a rogue co-pilot sending the Germanwings crew and passengers to their deaths, Robin said the passengers on board probably were unaware "until the end".

"The screams aren't heard until the end," he said.

The co-pilot, who deliberately set the controls "to accelerate the plane's descent" into the side of a mountain in a region famous for its ski resorts, “was conscious until the moment of impact”, Robin said.

Data from a specialist aviation tracking service suggested the autopilot was switched from 38,000 feet to 100 feet, its lowest possible setting, before the aircraft began its fatal plunge. German police searched the co-pilot’s home for evidence that might offer some explanation for what was behind Tuesday's crash.

The CEO of Lufthansa, parent company of Germanwings, said its air crew were picked carefully and subjected to psychological vetting.

"No matter your safety regulations, no matter how high you set the bar, and we have incredibly high standards, there is no way to rule out such an event," CEO Carsten Spohr said.

The world's attention will now focus on the motivations of Lubitz, a German national who joined the budget carrier in September 2013 and had just 630 hours of flying time — compared with the 6,000 hours of the flight captain, named in German media only as "Patrick S.", in accordance with usual practice.

The police set up guard outside Lubitz's house in Montabaur, Germany. Acquaintances in the town said they were stunned, describing him as an affable young man who gave no indication he was harbouring any harmful intent.

The shocking new information was released as families and friends of victims began arriving in France to travel to the remote mountainous crash site area, where locals have opened their doors in a show of solidarity with the grieving relatives.

Two planes arrived in southern France today from Barcelona and Duesseldorf with families and friends.

Tents were set up for them near the crash site area to give DNA samples to start the process of identifying the bodies of loved ones, at least 51 of whom were Spaniards and at least 72 Germans. — Agencies