Deadly Alps crash by co-pilot leads to recommendations for changes in aviation regulations
The co-pilot who intentionally crashed a Germanwings flight carrying 150 people into the French Alps on Tuesday had concealed a mental illness from his employer, authorities said Friday.
However, the diagnosis and severity of Andreas Lubitz’s condition hasn’t been revealed, reports the New York Times (reg. req.) The 27-year-old reportedly had left a sick note from his physician excusing him from work at his home in Germany before the flight, rather than presenting it to the airline.
“Documents were secured containing medical information that indicates an illness and corresponding treatment by doctors,” a spokesman for prosecutors in Düsseldorf, said in a written statement provided to the Times. An investigation is also ongoing in France, where the crash occurred.
The crash has sparked discussion among aviation and pilots groups about whether more safeguards are needed, both on the mental-health front and concerning crew practices on airlines.
The European Aviation Safety Agency recommended Friday that airlines always have two people in the cockpit from this point forward, reports the Associated Press.
A French prosecutor said Thursday that Lubitz locked the pilot on the doomed Airbus A320 flight out of the cockpit when the pilot left to take a restroom break.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Prosecutor: Co-pilot intentionally crashed plane into French Alps, killing 150”
