This is what Julian Bray reported on CNN before rescue teams had reached the crash site:http://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/03/24/idesk-bray-intv-germanwings-descent.cnn
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Germanwings crash: Bodies being recovered by helicopter aerial lines from the steep mountainside |
Julian Bray Aviation expert reports: French investigators having overnight already briefed relatives of the Germanwings crash 'behind closed doors' have today speaking to the world media at a press conference publicly published the final crash report on the Germanwings plane.
The aircraft, a French built airbus A320 was deliberately targeted at ,and flown into a French mountainside by its 'unwell' co-pilot in a case that raises a substantial number of safety questions and calls into question the whole pilot training and certification regime.
The Düsseldorf prosecutor endorses findings that Andreas Lubitz searched online for ways to obtain potassium cyanide, valium and researched lethal combinations of drugs.
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Mass killer Co-Pilot Andreas Lubitz, his Facebook picture |
German view:
Germanwings-Katastrophe | Warum durfte Lubitz meinen Vater in den Tod fliegen?
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The Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) civil aviation investigators are to make recommendations on re-engineering and the locking of cockpit doors, and possibly relocation crew toilets to within the flight deck secure zone. The findings publicly released this Sunday morning and follow a Preliminary report issued last May.
Overnight reports say that the pre-briefed relatives are angry at the contents of the final report, which they claim is far too technical and very difficult to understand.
The conclusions are cloaked in caveats, which in turn the relatives claim are difficult to define, and apportion where the legal liability for the whole incident should be placed. Doctors for example have not taken part.
A direct result of the Germanwings incident over a year ago – 150 people travelling between Barcelona and Duesseldorf were killed – European aviation authorities have already recommended a compulsory order to have a minimum of two people in the cockpit, at any time during flights. However a few countries are opposed along with Germany’s pilots’ union as they say it poses risks that outweigh any improvements in security.
The flight on 24 March 2015, was perfectly normal until co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately locked the pilot out of the cockpit, when the Pilot visited the toilets, located outside the cockpit secure zone.
Lubitz then deliberately altered the flight controls, 10 minutes later, the Airbus A320 ploughed into a mountainside, instantly killing all 144 passengers and six crew.
It emerged Lubitz had been suffering from clinical depression
and had seen dozens of doctors in the years preceding the crash.
Lubitz could do this undetected as German law kept his medical records confidential and none of the practitioners consulted
was lawfully permitted to alert the airline or any other employers as to his state of mind, as a result Co-pilot Lubitz was allowed to continue flying.
The black box voice data recorder recovered at the crash scene, all that can be heard from Lubitz is a course of regular breathing. He gave no 'final words of explanation' for his deadly actions.
No last minute statement, no remorse.
Lubitz would just be watching a massive rockface hurtling towards him and the Airbus and he would be one of the first to be killed as the fuselage concertinaed into the mountain and broke up. No sound, no emotion.
The regime of medical testing already undertaken by flight crew has already been enhanced as a result of the Germanwings incident. The European Aviation Safety Agency has already recommends enhanced medical and psychological testing for pilots, making it a formal public reporting part of initial pilot licencing.
BEA investigator Remi Jouty said the French investigation had sought to identify the “systematic failures which led to this accident”. They also looked at the “balance between medical secrecy and flight security”.
The victim list included 72 Germans, plus a group of 16 high school students, and 50 Spaniards.
A German lawyer acting for some of the families of the deceased. said they intended to additionally sue the training school in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, which Lubitz attended, claiming it should have flagged up his psychological problems.
“The co-pilot interrupted his training there for a while due to psychological problems,” lawyer Christof Wellens said. “Clearly this should have been flagged up and he shouldn’t have been allowed to resume his training.”
The Germanwings’ parent is Lufthansa, they have already paid 50,000 euros ($56,000) per victim, as an initial payment and subsequently offered an additional 25,000 euros to each of the families plus 10,000 euros to each immediate relative including parents, children and spouse.
BEA Preliminary REOPRT MAY 2015 https://www.bea.aero/docspa/2015/d-px150324.en/pdf/d-px150324.en.pdf
JULIAN BRAY +44(0)1733 345581 Aviation Expert, Journalist & Broadcaster, Aviation Security & Airline Operations Expert, Travel / Maritime & Cruise Industry, NUJ, EQUITY, LIVE ISDN LINK, Broadcast ISDN COOBE ++44 (0)1733 345020 e&oe Old faithful NOKIA: 07944 217476 www.aviationcomment.com
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