The ill-fated Germanwings flight pilot
Andreas Lubitz might have been suffering a 'personal crisis' at the time
of the crash, it was claimed last night.
Reports
from Germany suggested the 28-year-old was struggling to cope after a
failed relationship when he deliberately ploughed the Airbus A320 into
the mountainside, killing his 149 passengers.
The
theory emerged just hours after police investigating the disaster
announced they had made a 'significant discovery' during a four-hour
search of Lubitz's flat, which he is said to have shared with a
girlfriend.
Officers refused to reveal details of the potential breakthrough but insisted it was not a suicide note.
Yesterday, Lubitz's boss admitted he had slipped through the ‘safety net’ and should never have been flying.
It was also revealed that the fitness fanatic had suffered from depression and ‘burnout’ which had held up his career.
But, incredibly, he passed all his psychological assessments and was considered fit to fly.
Prosecutors
revealed chilling recordings from the doomed aircraft showing that
piano teacher’s son Lubitz locked his captain out of the cockpit so he
could crash the plane into an alpine ravine.
In
audio files extracted from the plane's cockpit voice recorder -
discovered on Wednesday at the remote crash site - the captain was
heard growing increasingly distressed as he tried to force his way back
into the flight deck.
Prosecutors said the screams of passengers aware of their fate could be heard in the final seconds.
In
a blunt admission, Carsten Spohr, the head of Lufthansa which owns the
budget airline, admitted Lubitz had slipped through the safety net with
devastating consequences.
‘The pilot had passed all his tests, all his medical exams,’ he said. ‘He was 100 per cent fit to fly without any restrictions.
'We
have at Lufthansa, a reporting system where crew can report – without
being punished – their own problems, or they can report about the
problems of others without any kind of punishment.
'All the safety nets we are all so proud of here have not worked in this case.’
 |
| Killer in the cockpit: Lubitz competes in a half-marathon in 2013 |
German detectives carry evidence from 28 year old's apartment on the outskirts of Dusseldorf on Thursday
Police said they had 'found something' that would now be taken for
tests, adding it may be a 'clue' as to what happened to the doomed jet
German detectives were also pictured carrying computer equipment from Lubitz's family home in a small town north of Frankfurt
Tributes: Candles and flowers were laid in memory of those who lost
their lives at a memorial for the victims of the crash in Le Vernet,
France
Touching: Photographs and handwritten notes were left in tribute by
friends and family who visited the memorial near the crash site
In memory: French authorities installed an engraved stone tribute to the
victims, where mourners gathered to lay flowers and candles
Grief: Relatives of the victims overcome with emotion after attending a
tribute in honour of their loved ones in Le Vernet, France on Thursday
Culled from:Daily Mail
No comments:
Post a Comment