Andreas Lubitz has been demonized by the press in the last few days following his fatal crash in France that led to the death of 150 people, including two babies. It was originally thought that the plane had suffered a major malfunction, but that theory was dispelled when the cockpit recorder was reviewed.
Lubitz had locked the cockpit door after the captain had left asking him to take control of the flight. Yesterday we reported that it appeared Lubitz had crashed the plane on purpose, killing everyone on board. Now, it appears there is more to the story.
According to ABC News, investigators found a note torn up in Lubitz' Dusseldorf apartment indicating that he was sick and unfit to fly on the date of the crash. However, Germanwings officials said they never received a copy of the note, and Christoph Krumpa, the public prosecutor in Dusseldorf, confirmed this.
Krumpa noted that, "a torn-up current sick note ... valid for the day of the incident" had been located and it "would -- according to preliminary evaluation -- support the assumption that the [pilot] had concealed his illness towards his employer and his occupational environment."
This could lead to the finding that the co-pilot was suddenly taken ill at the controls. While the nature of the illness has not yet been released, the hospital where Lubitz was receiving treatment has stated that it was not depression related. Officials also noted that no suicide note had been found, and that Lubitz was taking the "appropriate medical treatment."
Lufthansa/Germanwings officials confirmed that Lubitz had passed both his physical and psychological exam when he was hired in 2013, but that psychological exams were not an annual requirement, as were the physicals.
While the nature of Lubitz' illness is still unknown to the press, Dusseldorf University Hospital has confirmed that his last visit there was just two weeks prior to the crash.
So what really happened in the air over the Alps that day? We may never know for sure. Lufthansa has taken steps to help ensure it doesn't happen again, implementing a new policy that two qualified individuals must remain in the cockpit at all times during future flights. Hopefully this measure will prevent any further incidents similar to the one that Lubitz was involved in.
In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who were killed in this horrible tragedy.
