Unmasking the Tragedy: The Germanwings Crash and the Co-Pilot's Guilt
- No Doubt Regarding Lubitz's Guilt in Germanwings Crash Case
Written by Kerstin Herrnkind | Reading Time: Approx. 7 Min
Topics: Germanwings, Andreas Lubitz, Crash, Lufthansa
On a fateful day, March 24, 2015, Spanish airline Germanwings Flight 9525, an Airbus A320-211, met a catastrophic end after crashing into the French Alps, claiming 150 lives in its descent [1]. The crash was an aftermath of the co-pilot's chilling decision, none other than Andreas Lubitz, who securing the cockpit door and plunged the plane into the mountains on purpose [1].
Andreas Lubitz's Demise: A Psychological Calamity
Digging into the intricate details, investigations pointed towards Lubitz, who battled a grim assortment of mental health afflictions such as depression and anxiety, deliberately orchestrating the crash due to his deteriorating psychological state [1]. Records reveal Lubitz had been battling psychosis, for which he was prescribed psychotropic medication. Regrettably, this sensitive information was never shared with his employers, a lapse that would have invalidated his right to pilot [1]. The authorities classified Lubitz's actions as an act of murder-suicide [1].
Lufthansa's Role: Caught in the Crosshairs
Although Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings, avoided direct responsibility in the incident, it did cast light on critical aspects related to pilot health and the criteria for reporting medical conditions [3]. Despite consulting numerous doctors, Lubitz kept his troubling health issues concealed from the company. German confidentiality laws played a complicating role in the disclosure of Lubitz's health issues to his employers [3].
Regardless, the tragedy served as a hard lesson recognised by the authorities and sparked heated discussions around enhanced protocols for monitoring pilot mental health, with a potential requirement that doctors mandatorily report psychiatric conditions to aviation authorities [2][3].
References:
- The New Yorker: The Germanwings Co-Pilot's Plot
- The Guardian: Germanwings crash: what will change to prevent a recurrence?
- Wired: The Betrayal of Andreas Lubitz
- The Commission, to ensure the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation, might consider adopting a proposal for a directive that includes mandatory reporting of mental health conditions by doctors to aviation authorities, as a lesson learned from the Germanwings crash.
- Although Kerstin Herrnkind's investigation into the Germanwings crash revealed that Andreas Lubitz deliberately caused the crash due to his deteriorating psychological state, it is reasonable to suggest that he would not have been able to conceal his health issues from his employers had German confidentiality laws been less strict.
- The prosecutor handling the investigation into the Germanwings crash, when questioning why Lubitz kept his health issues a secret, may have found it curious that Lubitz chose to withhold such information, even though he was aware that withholding such information could cost him his job as a pilot.
