Germanwings Co-pilot Copycat Suicide and Mass Murder?

On November 29, 2013, 16 months before the Germanwings crash, Mozambique Airlines Flight TM470 went down in a remote area of Namibia while operating a scheduled passenger service from Maputo, Mozambique, to Luanda, Angola. The E-190 jet, manufactured by Brazil’s Embraer SA, was just one year old. Weather in the area, other than heavy rain, was not dangerous. Results of the investigation ruled out any mechanical problem or problem with the airworthiness of the aircraft as cause of the major accident.

According to a summary by Aviation Safety Network of the preliminary investigation results, the crash of Mozambique Airlines Flight TM470 that killed all 33 people on board was quite possibly intentional. Investigators believe it may have been pilot suicide. Like the Germanwings crash in the French Alps on March 24, 2015, one of the two crew members left the cockpit to use the toilet and was locked out by the other upon returning. On Mozambique Airlines Flight TM470f  the co-pilot left the cabin and the captain locked him out, a reversal of the situation on the Germanwings flight. It isn’t officially known whether the captain of Mozambique Airlines Flight TM470 had shown signs of mental issues; unverified rumors suggest he may have had marital problems, and that a son had died.

Regarding Mozambique Airlines Flight TM470, João Abreu, head of the Institute of Civil Aviation of Mozambique, said:

• The aircraft dove toward the ground at 6,000 feet a minute. 
• Data from the cockpit voice recorder indicates that minutes before the crash, the co-pilot left the cockpit for the bathroom and returned to find the door shut. 
• The flight data recorder, or black box, indicates that the captain manually changed on the autopilot the flight altitude from 38,000 feet to below ground level. 
• He also retarded the engine throttles to idle and manually selected the maximum operating speed -- a contradictory action that makes little sense. 
• The voice recorder shows that someone, likely the first officer, pounded on the cockpit door before the crash. 
• There was no mayday call from the experienced captain.

All the actions of the captain are eerily similar to those of the first officer, Andreas Lubitz, of the Germanwings flight on March 24, 2015, as are the results. Lubitz also manually changed n the autopilot the altitude from 38,000: he set it to 100 feet, an altitude well below the highest terrain in the area, and he accelerated as the plane descended toward the French Alps.

On December 21, 2013 Mozambique's Civil Aviation Authority reported in a press conference that:

• The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder revealed that the captain was alone on the flight deck,
• Banging on the flight deck door could be heard on the cockpit voice recorder.  
• The autoflight systems (autothrottle and autopilot) were engaged: There were sounds and clicks consistent with a person knowledgeable of the aircraft systems commanding the engines to idle thrust and selecting the autoflight systems into a descent at 6000 feet per minute.
• Numerous warnings and alerts were not responded to.

The above description is eerily similar to the Germanwings flight on March 24, 2015, as are the following details about Mozambique Airlines Flight TM470 on November 29, 2013.

Namibia's Directorate of Aircraft Accident Investigations (DAAI) released an interim report reporting that the aircraft was enroute at FL380 shortly after the mandatory reporting point EXEDU, when the aircraft began a rapid descent. The Investigation re-iterated the preliminary report of 2013 that:

1. The autopilot's target altitude was selected down in three different steps (first FL380 to 4,288 feet, then 1,888 feet and final 592 feet) to below ground elevation,
2. The autothrust system's target airspeed was adjusted several times to remain close to Mmo/Vmo,
3. There were overspeed warnings several times during the descent,
4. The cabin air conditioning system number 2 was manually deactivated,
5. The speed brakes were manually deployed (and remained in that position until end of flight data recordings),
6. The vertical speed reached a maximum rate of descent of 10,560 feet per minute

And the report stated: "During all this actions there was audible low and high chimes as well as repeated banging an indication for call to enter the cockpit." During the last 2500 feet AGL the EGPWS issued several caution and warnings including "Terrain, Pull Up!".

According to radar data, the aircraft was lost from radar when it descended through 6600 feet MSL, by that time it had travelled 87.4km/47.2nm in 6 minutes 43 seconds since the aircraft left FL380.

The Investigation reported that there had been no distress call by the crew nor had there been a signal from the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) after impact with the ground at 3,390 feet MSL.

The captain (49, ATPL, 9,053 hour total, 2,520 hours on type) was pilot flying at the time the aircraft left FL380, the first officer (24, CPL, 1,183 hours total, no hours on type provided except 101 hours on type in the last 90 days) had left the cockpit prior to the aircraft leaving FL380.

The data were successfully downloaded off both flight data and cockpit voice recorder.

On January 8, 2014, the Aviation Herald received the preliminary report from Namibia's Investigator in Charge under the condition to not publish the two-page report signed on December 18, 2013. The preliminary report states the aircraft carried 28 passengers and 6 crew and was enroute at FL380 in contact with Gaborone Area Air Traffic Control. Radar data show that after passing the mandatory reporting point EXEDU (position S18.9333 E22.4666, 55.7nm south of crash site) in Gaborone FIR the aircraft "commenced a sudden descent" from FL380. Radar and voice contact was lost.

The report states (begin of quote):

    1. the aircraft was operating at normal conditions and no mechanical faults were detected.

    2. Minutes before the crash the F/O (first officer) left the cockpit for the lavatory and only the captain remained on the Flight Deck.

    3. The altitude was manually selected three times from 38000 feet to the final 592 feet (below ground elevation).

    4. Auto throttle was manually reengaged and throttle level automatically retarded and set to idle.

    5. The Airspeed was manually selected several times until the end of the recording, which remained close to Vmo (maximum operating speed limit).

    6. The speed brake handle parameter indicates it was commanded to open the spoiler panels and remained in this position until the end of the recording. This was manually commanded as the parameter monitors the handle position.

    7. During all these actions there was audible low and high chimes as well as repeated banging an indication for call to enter the cockpit.

    Conclusion:

    All action observed from the recorders requires knowledge of the aircraft's automatic flight systems as the entire descent was performed with the autopilot engaged. This displays a clear intent. The reason for all these actions is unknown and the investigation is still ongoing.

    End of quote.

Information from the second black box found in the wreckage of the Germanwings flight that crashed in the French Alps confirms the co-pilot acted deliberately and even accelerated as the doomed plane descended, investigators said on April 3, 2015.A first reading shows that the pilot in the cockpit used the automatic pilot to descend the plane towards an altitude of 100 feet (30 metres), then, several times during the descent, the pilot changed the automatic pilot settings to increase the aircraft's speed.The owner of Germanwings, Luftansia, said the co-pilot had told the airline in 2009 about his depression after interrupting his flight training. Doctors had recently found no sign that he intended to hurt himself or others, but he was receiving treatment from neurologists and psychiatrists who had signed him off sick from work a number of times, including on the day of the crash. Police found torn-up sick notes during a search of his apartment after the crash. [Source]

The Germanwings airbus that crashed in the French Alps on March 24, 2015 was within close proximity of two other crashed, one in 1953 and the other in 1966. On September 1, 1953, Air France Flight 178 operating the Paris-Nice portion of a passenger flight to Saigon crashed into Mount Cemet, France, with the loss of all 42 lives on board. On January 24, 1966, Air India Flight 101 crashed at almost the same location as the Air India 1953 crash, with the loss of 117 crew and passengers.

Second Black Box Confirms That Germanwings Co-pilot Deliberately Crashed in the French Alps and Even Accelerated as the Plane Descended

Information from the second black box found in the wreckage of the Germanwings flight that crashed in the French Alps confirms the co-pilot acted deliberately and even accelerated as the doomed plane descended, investigators said on April 3, 2015.

"A first reading shows that the pilot in the cockpit used the automatic pilot to descend the plane towards an altitude of 100 feet (30 metres)," said the French BEA crash investigation office in a statement.

"Then, several times during the descent, the pilot changed the automatic pilot settings to increase the aircraft's speed," added the investigators.

Based on cockpit audio recordings from the first black box, recovered hours after the March 24 crash, prosecutors believe 27-year-old German co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit and then deliberately set the plane on a deadly collision course with the mountains. 

The latest information from the second black box appears to confirm the theory that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately smashed the plane into the mountains, killing all 150 people on board.

As he barricaded himself at the Airbus A320's controls, he appears to have ignored efforts by his senior colleague to bash his way through the cockpit door of the 24-year-old jet, which had been reinforced under rules to protect pilots after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

Authorities found the second black box, which contains technical flight data, on April 2, 2015 after a gruelling 10-day search in difficult mountain terrain. Alice Coldefy, the only woman on the 43-strong elite mountain police team, uncovered the box on her first day on the search.

Prosecutors Say Germanwings Co-pilot Searched 'Suicide Methods' and 'Cockpit Security' on His Tablet Computer

German prosecutors said internet searches made on the tablet found in Lubitz's Duesseldorf flat included "ways to commit suicide" and "cockpit doors and their security provisions." Prosecutors did not disclose the individual search terms in the browser history but said personal correspondence supported the conclusion Lubitz used the device in the period from March 16 to 23. At a press conference, French prosecutor Brice Robin said there was "reasonable hope" that the Flight Data Recorder, which was being sent to Paris for examination, would provide useful information. The "completely blackened" equipment (image below) was found near a ravine and was not discovered immediately because it was the same color as the rocks, he said. A female police officer digging by hand for clothes in a ravine that had been searched previously found the Flight Data Recorder on the afternoon of April 2nd, about 8 inches below the surface, Robin told reporters. He said: "The second black box [both boxes are actually orange] is an indispensable addition to understand what happened, especially in the final moment of the flight." On March 24, 2015 at 9:40 GMT, the plane smashed into the mountains at a speed of 430 miles an hour, instantly killing all 150 people on board. [Source]

Investigators believe that Lubitz was "very afraid" he would lose his license to fly because of his medical issues, a law enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the investigation told CNN. It emerged that Lubitz had battled depression years before he took the controls of Flight 9525 and that he had concealed from his employer a recent sick leave note from a physician. Lubitz told his Lufthansa flight training school in 2009 that he had a "previous episode of severe depression," the German airline confirmed (Lufthansa is the parent company of budget airline Germanwings). The law enforcement source said that Lubitz relapsed with severe depression and stress in late 2014. [Source]

According to the law enforcement source, in the weeks leading up to the crash, Lubitz was shopping doctors, seeing at least five, perhaps as many as six, as he kept going from one doctor to the next seeking help. The 27-year-old was having trouble sleeping, and one of the doctors he saw recently was a sleep specialist, the law enforcement source said. Lubitz apparently told some doctors that he was afraid of losing his pilot's license because of his medical issues. The doctors knew he was a pilot and gave him a "not fit to work" notice, which he was apparently required to give to his employer, even though he didn't, the source said. French prosecutor Robin told media that police found the note, which was torn up, during a search of Lubitz's home. Officials say doctors handled the matter the way they were supposed to and found no negligence on their part. [Source]

Thinking he would stay home from work based on the sick notes, Lubitz was prescribed a lot of medication, including "heavy depression medicine" that would have been "very heavy" on the body and "critical to a pilot," the source said. However, the law enforcement source doesn't think Lubitz was using the medicine while working because investigators interviewed a pilot he flew with the day before who said he was "completely normal" with no problem whatsoever. Inside Lubitz's apartment, investigators found a couple of notes, with only a few words, involving stress, and his pilot's license, the source added. He didn't know if Lubitz wrote these down while talking to someone on the phone or wrote the memo to remind himself of something. [Source]

Germanwings Crash: Investigators Can't Find the Flight Data Recorder But Found a Cell Phone Video Taken by a Passenger Moments Before the Crash

Reports: Video found in wreckage shows Germanwings flight's final seconds (Video)

"Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Marc Menichini, a high ranking official involved in the recovery operation, has categorically denied that any mobile phone footage had been found by investigators at the site." 

March 31, 2015

CNN - Video found in the wreckage on a French mountainside shows the nightmarish final seconds of Germanwings Flight 9525, reports said Tuesday.

Taken on a cell phone, the video "was so chaotic that it was hard to identify people, but the sounds of the screaming passengers made it perfectly clear that they were aware of what was about to happen to them," according to the French magazine Paris Match, which obtained the video along with the German newspaper Bild:

"One can hear cries of 'My God' in several languages. Metallic banging can also be heard more than three times, perhaps of the pilot trying to open the cockpit door with a heavy object. Towards the end, after a heavy shake, stronger than the others, the screaming intensifies. Then nothing," Paris Match reports.

The two publications described the video but did not post the video itself.

Lufthansa, meanwhile, announced that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz told told his Lufthansa flight training school in 2009 that he had a "previous episode of severe depression."

The airline is sharing that information and documents -- including training and medical records -- with public prosecutors.

Pilots’ Union Issues Press Release That States It 'Deplores and Condemns the Leak of Certain Elements of the Cockpit Voice Recorder of Germanwings Flight 4U9525'

Germanwings 4U9525 accident investigation: IFALPA strongly condemns leaking of CVR data

March 26, 2015

Press Release – The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) deplores and condemns yesterday's leaking of certain elements of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the Germanwings flight 4U9525.

Not only do these leaks contravene the internationally agreed principles of accident investigation confidentiality set out in ICAO Annex 13, they are also a breach of trust to all those involved in the investigation and to the families of the victims. Furthermore, leaks of this nature greatly harm flight safety since they invite ill-informed speculation from the media and the general public and discourage cooperation with investigators in future accidents .

IFALPA once again stresses that the sole purpose of a CVR is to aid investigators in determining the factors leading to an accident and not to apportion blame or be used outside of its safety context. CVR details should only be publicly released following a thorough and complete investigation of the events that occurred, and not prematurely during the course of the field portion of the accident investigation, underway for less than 48 hours.

Leaking premature, unanalyzed, and partial CVR recordings, which lack the context of the entire body of factual investigative data, severely interferes with the investigative process, and can only lead to early conclusions on what exactly occurred during the time leading up to the accident. Any other use of CVR data is not only invalid, but is an unacceptable invasion of privacy best described as a search for sensationalism and voyeurism of the worst kind.

It is vital for the investigating body to ensure all information under their control is properly handled until the completion of the investigation.

In this early stage of the investigation, many critical questions remain to be answered, and IFALPA stresses the need for an objective accident investigation process through the collection of all the facts needed to draw an accurate analysis of events. Once again, IFALPA’s resources are at the disposal of the Accident Investigation Agencies to achieve these aims.

German Tabloid 'Bild' Claims to Have Transcript of Germanwings Voice Recorder (Flight Data Recorder 'Remains Missing'); French Air Accident Investigation Agency Calls Their Report 'Voyeurism'

"What bothers me here is that this was leaked or presented to the press and public before the investigation is even remotely complete. Granted, this appears to be common practice in the age of instant information demand. How convenient it is to always blame two dead pilots, or in this case, one dead pilot. Can't we wait for the official report to be released from the investigative authorities before the world lynches this poor guy!? Think of what his family must be going through now. In addition, based on what I know of Lufthansa's selection criteria for pilots, which can easily be said to be one of the toughest in the world, I'm just not buying this. Not until all the facts are out." - Reluctant Bus Driver, PPRuNe.org

What happened to ICAO Annex 13? Without data from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), how do they know the First Officer started the descent? Many critical questions to be asked. Speculation is not good for the official investigation. The First Officer has been accused, charged, tried and convicted, and we don't yet have the FDR to be sure of the sequence of events or exactly what happened and why! Surely there is a LOT more to this than what the French Prosecutor has decided based on what he "heard."

The French Prosecutor is not following ICAO Annex 13 and, as a result, the IFALPA issued a press release on March 26 (excerpt follows): The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) deplores and condemns yesterday's leaking of certain elements of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the Germanwings flight 4U9525. Not only do these leaks contravene the internationally agreed principles of accident investigation confidentiality set out in ICAO Annex 13, they are also a breach of trust to all those involved in the investigation and to the families of the victims. Furthermore, leaks of this nature greatly harm flight safety since they invite ill-informed speculation from the media and the general public and discourage cooperation with investigators in future accidents. Leaking premature, unanalyzed, and partial CVR recordings, which lack the context of the entire body of factual investigative data, severely interferes with the investigative process, and can only lead to early conclusions on what exactly occurred during the time leading up to the accident. Any other use of CVR data is not only invalid, but is an unacceptable invasion of privacy best described as a search for sensationalism and voyeurism of the worst kind.

German newspaper releases timeline of Germanwings flight before crash

March 29, 2015

CNN - The sounds recorded on one of the "black boxes" recovered from downed Germanwings Flight 9525 firms up investigators' theory that the co-pilot locked the captain out of the cockpit and then crashed the plane.

"For God's sake, open the door!" Capt. Patrick Sondenheimer screamed as he banged on the cockpit door, pleading with the co-pilot.

Thirteen minutes later, the plane slammed into the French Alps.

The audio from the plane's cockpit voice recorder has not been released, but the German newspaper Bild published Sunday what it claims is a summary of the transcript from the recording.

CNN translated Bild's report -- which the newspaper says is based on the 1.5 hours of audio that was on the cockpit voice recorder -- but cannot independently verify the information.

German Pilots Cast Doubt on the Story that Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz Intentionally Crashed the Plane

In a statement (in German), prosecutors said they had seized medical documents from Mr Lubitz's two residences - his Duesseldorf flat and his parents' home north of Frankfurt - which indicated an "existing illness and appropriate medical treatment". The "fact that, among the documents found, there were sick notes - torn-up, current and for the day of the crash - leads to the provisional assessment that the deceased was hiding his illness from his employer", the report states. Germanwings confirmed it had not been given a sick note for the day of the crash. Duesseldorf's University Hospital issued a statement (in German) saying Mr Lubitz had attended the hospital on 10 March and last month. Adding that it had handed his medical records over to prosecutors, it said reports the co-pilot had been treated there for depression were incorrect.
Germany's Rheinischer Post newspaper, which spoke to the hospital, quoted its own unnamed sources as saying Mr Lubitz had been suffering from a physical, rather than a mental, illness. [BBC]

A Duesseldorf hospital says the co-pilot of Germanwings flight 9525 had been a patient there over the past two months. Duesseldorf University Hospital said in a statement Friday that Andreas Lubitz last came to the hospital for "diagnostic evaluation" on March 10. It declined to provide details about his condition but denied German media reports that it had treated the 27-year-old pilot for depression. [Associated Press]

German Pilots Cast Doubt on Blaming of Co-Pilot for Crash

The International Federal of Airline Pilots Associations, or IFALPA, condemned the leaks of the cockpit voice recorder or CVR on Thursday, saying that it violated long-established practices after plane crashes, where details are kept confidential until the investigation is complete.

March 26, 2015

Time - German pilots reacted with anger and confusion on Thursday after French and German statements said the co-pilot on the Germanwings crash earlier this week deliberately slammed the plane into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board.

Stunned at the revelations, some pilots believe that the authorities are eager to find a culprit to blame, before the relevant facts are known. 

“It is a very, very incomplete picture,” says James Phillips, international affairs director of the German Pilots Association, speaking on the phone to TIME late Thursday. 

He said his own reaction was “angry.”

“I have the feeling that there was a search for a quick answer, rather than a good answer,” he said.

Germanwings Co-Pilot, Andreas Lubitz: Suicide or  'Manchurian Candidate'? (Updated)

One of the Americans who died in the crash, Yvonne Selke, was a Booz Allen Hamilton employee who was working on a $315 million project for the Pentagon, according to a March 2013 press release. "Booz Allen and our employees are mourning the sudden and shocking death of Yvonne Selke, an employee of nearly 23 years, and her daughter, Emily," Betty Thompson, Booz Allen executive vice president, said in a statement. The AP reported that Selke was a “longtime and highly regarded employee.” The AP said that she worked in the Pentagon on the company’s contract with the National Geospaital-Intelligence Agency, which analyzes imagery from spy planes and satellites.

Andreas Lubitz received psychiatric treatment for a "serious depressive episode" in 2009, German tabloid Bild reported. Citing internal documents and Lufthansa sources, Bild said Lubitz spent a total of 18 months in psychiatric treatment. Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr told a news conference that Lubitz had taken a break during his training six years ago, but did not explain why and said he had passed all tests and was “100 percent” fit to fly. "Six years ago there was a lengthy interruption in his training. After he was cleared again, he resumed training. He passed all the subsequent tests and checks with flying colors. His flying abilities were flawless." [Source]

German reporters found Lubitz’s former classmates, who said he took a six-month break from training due to “burnout-syndrome” or “depression.” Bild claims it got access to Lubitz’s profile, indicating the pilot had “psychological problems” and required a “special, exemplary regular medical examination.” Bild also cites sources familiar with the investigation, saying that Lubitz suffered from a “personal life crisis,” following a recent breakup with a girlfriend. [Source]

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had issued Lubitz a third-class medical certificate. In order to obtain such a certificate, a pilot must be cleared of psychological problems including psychosis, bipolar disorder and personality disorders. The certificate also means that he wasn't found to be suffering from another mental health condition that "makes the person unable to safely perform the duties or exercise the privileges" of a pilot's license. [Source]

While incredibly rare for a pilot to kill himself — and everyone else on a plane — there is both national and international precedent for what experts call “aircraft-assisted pilot suicides.” According to Federal Aviation Administration data, 24 American pilots have killed themselves while flying their planes in the last two decades. Twenty-three of those pilots intentionally crashed their craft, and one student pilot jumped out of his plane mid-flight. All of the pilots who killed themselves were male and middle-aged. While none of of the American pilots who killed themselves were flying a big commercial aircraft, it has happened elsewhere.

In November 2013, a Mozambique Airlines E-190 jet carrying 33 passengers went down in Namibia under similar circumstances to the Germanwings' crash. No one survived the crash, which became the subject of great mystery because the plane was only one year old, flown by an experienced pilot, in good weather. The Washington Post reported on the crash of E-190: