Germanwings plane crash: Co-pilot ‘wanted to destroy plane’

The co-pilot of the Germanwings flight that crashed in the French Alps, named as Andreas Lubitz, appeared to want to “destroy the plane”, officials said.

Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin, citing information from the “black box” voice recorder, said the co-pilot was alone in the cockpit.

He intentionally started a descent while the pilot was locked out.

Mr Robin said there was “absolute silence in the cockpit” as the pilot fought to re-enter it.

He said air traffic controllers made repeated attempts to contact the aircraft, but to no avail. Passengers could be heard screaming just before the crash, he added.

Details are also emerging of the co-pilot’s past – although his apparent motives for causing the crash remain a mystery.

Mr Lubitz, 28, had undergone intensive training and “was 100% fit to fly without any caveats”, according to Carsten Spohr, the head of Lufthansa, the German carrier that owns Germanwings.

Mr Spohr said Mr Lubitz’s training had been interrupted briefly six years ago but was resumed after “the suitability of the candidate was re-established”.

Andreas Lubitz: Germanwings co-pilot under scrutiny

• Started training in 2008, at Bremen and Arizona. Training briefly interrupted – but deemed fit to fly
• Working as co-pilot, or first officer, since 2013. Appeared pleased with his job
• Lived in town of Montaubaur, near Frankfurt, reportedly with his parents. Had many friends
• Facebook profile suggests the active lifestyle of a keen runner, with an interest in pop music

“At that moment, the co-pilot is controlling the plane by himself. While he is alone, the co-pilot presses the buttons of the flight monitoring system to put into action the descent of the aeroplane.

“He operated this button for a reason we don’t know yet, but it appears that the reason was to destroy this plane.”

Mr Lubitz was alive until the final impact, the prosecutor said.

BBC