Killer in the Cockpit

A mass murder investigation is currently underway in France after a co-pilot deliberately crashed a plane into the French Alps killing 149 passengers and crew. 27 year old Andreas Lubitz’s mental health is now being called into question as it becomes more apparent that this is a case of murder suicide.

Simon Wessely, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, says that it is unlikely that we will ever know what pushed Lubitz to commit such an act;

‘It’s possible something will emerge, but in most suicides people leave clues or a message. Incredibly extreme events like this are sometimes just inexplicable.’

Media speculation about Lubitz’s mental health has become the focus of the investigation thus far with sick notes being discovered that proved that Lubitz should not have been flying on that fateful day.

However, Marjorie Wallace, CEO of mental health charity SANE, says;

‘There are thousands of people with a diagnosis of depression, including pilots, who work, hold positions of high responsibility and who present no danger whatsoever…We do not know what part depression played in this tragedy but it is a condition that should never be trivialised.’

According to Dr Paul Keedwell, consultant psychiatrist and mood disorder specialist, states that the rate of previously diagnosed depression in murder-suicide cases ranges from 40%-60% depending on context.

It has emerged that Lubitz may have planned this attack for quite some time. His previous partner told a German newspaper how Lubitz told her last year;

‘One day I will do something that will change the whole system, and then all will know my name and remember it.’

Friends and neighbours have described Lubitz as ‘quiet’ but ‘fun’ and who thoroughly enjoyed his job. Certainly, an unlikely character to cause such a tragedy. German media said that aviation authority documents suggested however that Lubitz was suffering from depression and required continual assessment.

Dusseldorf University Hospital confirmed Lubitz had attended the hospital in February and March of this year for diagnostic evaluation but have denied that he received any treatment for depression whilst there.

Mr Lubitz’s passion for flying began at the tender age of fourteen when he became a member of the LSC Westerwald glider club in Montabaur. Coincidentally, this explains how he knew the area where the plane went down.

According the club’s chairman, Klaus Radke, Lubitz learned to fly in a ASK-21 two seat glider and then went on to obtain his full licence. He graduated from high school in 2007 and enrolled as a Lufthansa trainee. He had several months break during his training, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, confirmed but the reason for this was not disclosed. The newspaper Bild claims that this interruption was due to severe psychiatric problems and Lubitz was forced to repeat classes several times before completing his training. Following his completion, Bild says that Lubitz suffered a depressive episode and went on to receive treatment for the next year and a half.

Despite doctor recommendations that he should receive ongoing assessments, Lubitz went on to join Lufthansa’s low budget airline Germanwings. He initially started as a flight attendant before becoming a co-pilot. Lufthansa confirmed that Lubitz had flown a total of 630 hours as co-pilot before the fatal crash on Tuesday.

He was cleared in security checks in January and Mr Spohr says that ‘he was 100% fit to fly without any restrictions or conditions.’

Paul Ruecker, a long time member of the LSC Westerwald glider club insisted that Lubitz seemed ‘very happy’ during their last meeting.

‘I’m just speechless. I don’t have any explanation for this. Knowing Andreas, this is just inconceivable for me.’ 

9.45am – the plane reaches cruising altitude of 38,000 ft. the pilot and co-pilot are heard chatting normally. The pilot is heard moving his chair back and leaving the cockpit.

9.47am -  the plane has begun descending with the last radar position at an altitude of 6,175 ft. air traffic control issues a distress phase due to the loss of radio contact and the speed of descent. The plane itself did not issue a distress call. A spokesman from DGAC aviation authority said;

‘At no point during the descent was there any communication from the cockpit to air traffic controllers or any other signal of an emergency.’

9.53am-10am – the pilot is heard returning to the cockpit door but cannot re-enter because it is locked. The co-pilot refuses to open the door and the pilot is then heard trying to smash it down. Passengers are unaware of the imminent crash until minutes before. They are heard screaming as the plane crashes into the side of the mountain. Lubitz was conscious and breathing calmly and normally up until impact. Just before 10am, the plane crashes after travelling from an altitude of 36,000 ft to an altitiude of 5,000 ft over the space of eight minutes. The plane was travelling at 435mph.