French officials investigating the March 24 crash of GermanWings Flight 9525, which crashed into the French Alps in what is being called an apparent suicide by GermanWings copilot Andreas Lubitz, revealed today that Lubitz rehearsed the suicide trip. It was found that he practiced a controlled descent while in travel on an earlier flight the same day of Flight 9525’s crash that killed him and 149 others.
It was already concluded by the officials that GermanWings Flight 9525 was deliberately crashed into the mountains by GermanWings copilot, Lubitz as part of a suicide trip. The plane had been scheduled to travel from Barcelona, Spain, to Dusseldorf, Germany. Investigators determined that Lubitz had locked the pilot out of the cockpit when he had gone to the lavatory. Lubitz put Flight 9525 into a fatal dive and it ultimately crashed into the French Alps, killing all those aboard.
New Evidence Shows Plan for GermanWings Copilot Suicide Trip
Now, new evidence in the interim report of the crash shows that a few hours prior to the travel for GermanWings Flight 9525, Lubitz practiced his suicide trip by sending the very same Airbus A320 jet into a controlled descent. This occurred on an earlier flight on the outbound travel from Dusseldorf to Barcelona. Just like in the fatal GermanWings Flight 9525 disaster, the pilot was not in the cockpit at the time Lubitz made the practice suicide trip. The data from the cockpit showed that Lubitz took the jet into a practice suicide trip five separate times in less than five minutes during the travel from Dusseldorf to Barcelona.
Lubitz Medical History In Question
Investigators are now refocusing their study into the current balance between medical confidentiality and the safety of a flight, as well as the rules after September 11 terrorist attacks that now require the cockpit door to be locked. The medical situation is being studied because there are reports that Lubitz had submitted a medical form to the Federal Aviation Administration in 2010 when he applied for a pilot’s license. The forms showed that he was not suffering from a mental issue. He subsequently submitted forms showing that he had been treated for severe depression in 2008 to 2009. Investigators have since found that he had done research on how to kill himself in the days leading up to the crash. Additionally, Lubitz is said to have torn up a note from a doctor saying he was unfit to fly on the day of the crash.
New Suicide Trip Details Still to be Studied
Lufthansa, the owners of GermanWings airline, reported that they had not had time to go over these new allegations that Lubitz was able to do a practice suicide trip on another flight prior to the takeoff of GermanWings Flight 9525 that ended in the fatal crash and had no further comment at this time. Investigations will continue in hopes of finding ways to prevent such a disaster in the future.
