What do we know about Andreas Lubitz, co-pilot of the A320 Germanwings?

[Surya Gayatri]

http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2015/03/26/que-sait-in-d-andreas-lubitz-le-copilote-de-l-a320-de-germanwings_4602058_3214.html

The co-pilot of the Airbus A320 that crashed into the Estrop massive between Digne-les-Bains and Barcelonnette Thursday, March 26, killing 150 people, is named as Andreas G. Lubitz, the Wall Street Journal reported , information confirmed by Brice Robin, the prosecutor from Marseilles during a press conference in Marignane Thursday noon. Aged 28, Lubitz resided in Montabaur Rhineland-Palatinate.

The co-pilot of Germanwings Airbus A320 , who is not listed on any terrorist watch list, deliberately operated the aircraft's controls to make it lose altitude, an action that can be likened to "a desire to destroy the aircraft, Robin stated to journalists. But he said they have at this stage of the investigation, "no evidence that argues for a terrorist attack."

630 FLIGHT HOURS

Several calls from the captain from outside the cockpit were recorded by the black box. The pilot was identified, in particular through the surveillance camera on the side of the door, but no response was received from his colleague, then in control of the aircraft. The prosecutor stated that the co-pilot can be heard breathing during the eight long minutes of descent before the crash.

[HereSince1628]

1. They have the cockpit voice recorder box...so it keeps track of controls, too?

Last I heard there was a missing memory card or something... has that been found now?

[Surya Gayatri]

2. No, they haven't found the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) box yet...

All flight data they have has been extracted from radar tracking.

The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) box data was obviously able to be reconstructed.

[Yo_Mama]

3. And apparently they got footage off the surveillance camera.

Which I guess was recovered from the crash site.

[HereSince1628]

10. but the suggestion was that he altered contol...

so I'm still confused

This afternoon they're saying they heard him breathing during the descent. I don't think that implies he changed controls... I'm not at all knowledgeable about aircraft so I'm just confused.

[Surya Gayatri]

12. As the plane was obviously intact and flying, the only

way the altitude and speed settings could have been altered was manually and deliberately.

And he was alone in the cockpit.

[HereSince1628]

14. I'm not sure...yesterday a bit after 4 central I heard otherwise on WGN radio from Chicago

The person talking had interviewed a pilot certified on that plane. Apparently there is a concern about a problem with something about an auxillary computer. When the problem occurs the plane goes nose down, and dealing with the problem requires knowledge that it's the auxillary computer.

I don't know if that radio interview is available on line but it might be.

[jmowreader]

15. Radar tracking and telemetry

The website "flightradar24.com" has analyzed the raw data the Airbus' flight management computer sends back to base...someone or something changed the altitude setting on the autopilot from 38,000 feet - normal cruising altitude - to 96 feet.

http://forum.flightradar24.com/threads/8650-We-have-analysed-the-raw-data-from-the-transponder-of-4U9525-and-found-some-more-dat?p=64616

[global1]

4. It Sounds Like It Was A Spur Of The Moment Decision On The Part Of This Person.....

Unless the pilot always leaves the cockpit on all his flights - this sounds like it wasn't premeditated.

[mainer]

5. It was like putting a gun in front of a suicidal person

the co-pilot saw the opportunity and took it.

[Brickbat]

6. Unless he had been thinking about taking down *any* plane for some time, and just had to wait until

he got on a flight where the pilot happened to go to the bathroom.

[cwydro]

7. Apparently he interrupted his

training for a few months.

Surely they'll look into his activities during that time.

[greytdemocrat]

8. Can't rule anything out yet.

Very strange.

[KamaAina]

9. But it is a result of the War On Terra

Cockpit doors didn't have those kind of locks before Nineleven(TM).

[cwydro]

11. I think the reinforced doors

are necessary.

European airlines need to institute the "two in the cockpit rule" that American airlines have.

[Blue_Tires]

13. Depite the loophole, the reinforced cockpit door has been

very successful...

Of course American airlines also have the added level of redundancy of requiring a second crew member come up to the cockpit whenever one or the other pilots has to go to the can (so there is always someone to open the door in case the pilot flying becomes incapacitated)...Today quite a few foreign airlines announced they were making the 'second person' rule mandatory from now on...