This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/emergency-responders-resume-surveying-remote-alpine-crash-site/2015/03/25/a5a6d974-d26b-11e4-8b1e-274d670aa9c9_story.html?wprss=rss_world
The article has changed 12 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| 2 Americans on jet that crashed in Alps, Germanwings CEO says | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| DÜSSELDORF, Germany — Emergency responders resumed Wednesday surveying the debris of a crashed German jet as the French interior minister announced the black box had been damaged from the plane that mysteriously plunged and then slammed into an Alpine mountainside, presumably killing all 150 people on board. | DÜSSELDORF, Germany — Emergency responders resumed Wednesday surveying the debris of a crashed German jet as the French interior minister announced the black box had been damaged from the plane that mysteriously plunged and then slammed into an Alpine mountainside, presumably killing all 150 people on board. |
| Victims on the flight from Spain to Germany included two babies, two opera singers, an Australian mother and her adult son vacationing together, and 16 German 10th-graders and their teachers from the same school returning from an exchange trip. | Victims on the flight from Spain to Germany included two babies, two opera singers, an Australian mother and her adult son vacationing together, and 16 German 10th-graders and their teachers from the same school returning from an exchange trip. |
| The CEO of the carrier Germanwings, Thomas Winkelmann, said two Americans also were on board, the Associated Press reported. | |
| Stricken families of the victims across Europe grieved as investigators used helicopters to search through debris from Germanwings Flight 9525, which was scattered on remote and desolate French Alpine slopes. French authorities set up a chapel in a gymnasium as a place for families to gather and mourn. | Stricken families of the victims across Europe grieved as investigators used helicopters to search through debris from Germanwings Flight 9525, which was scattered on remote and desolate French Alpine slopes. French authorities set up a chapel in a gymnasium as a place for families to gather and mourn. |
| “The site is a picture of horror. The grief of the families and friends is immeasurable,” German Foreign Minister Frank Walter-Steinmeier said after being flown over the crash scene. “We must now stand together. We are united in our grief.” | “The site is a picture of horror. The grief of the families and friends is immeasurable,” German Foreign Minister Frank Walter-Steinmeier said after being flown over the crash scene. “We must now stand together. We are united in our grief.” |
| French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told France’s RTL radio that all options must be looked into to explain what happened to the doomed aircraft, but that a terrorist attack was not the most likely scenario. | French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told France’s RTL radio that all options must be looked into to explain what happened to the doomed aircraft, but that a terrorist attack was not the most likely scenario. |
| Cazeneuve confirmed that the black box that was found Tuesday was the cockpit voice recorder, saying that it had been damaged, but could still be used to find information. | Cazeneuve confirmed that the black box that was found Tuesday was the cockpit voice recorder, saying that it had been damaged, but could still be used to find information. |
| Investigators said they were operating on the initial assumption that a technical or other failure caused the crash. | Investigators said they were operating on the initial assumption that a technical or other failure caused the crash. |
| The Airbus A320, operated by Germanwings, the budget arm of the German carrier Lufthansa, had left Barcelona en route to Düsseldorf nearly 30 minutes late for reasons that remained unexplained. It traveled on a normal flight path before suddenly shifting into a steep descent moments after reaching its cruising altitude of 38,000 feet. | The Airbus A320, operated by Germanwings, the budget arm of the German carrier Lufthansa, had left Barcelona en route to Düsseldorf nearly 30 minutes late for reasons that remained unexplained. It traveled on a normal flight path before suddenly shifting into a steep descent moments after reaching its cruising altitude of 38,000 feet. |
| Within eight minutes, the plane had lurched down to 6,000 feet before falling off French radar screens at 10:53 a.m. local time. The pilots, French officials said, had not signaled air traffic control immediately before or during their sudden descent. The plane then crashed into rugged mountain terrain near the French ski resort of Prads-Haute-Bléone, where rescue workers and officials described a tableau of pulverized devastation. | Within eight minutes, the plane had lurched down to 6,000 feet before falling off French radar screens at 10:53 a.m. local time. The pilots, French officials said, had not signaled air traffic control immediately before or during their sudden descent. The plane then crashed into rugged mountain terrain near the French ski resort of Prads-Haute-Bléone, where rescue workers and officials described a tableau of pulverized devastation. |
| Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr told the German public TV network ARD that Tuesday was the “blackest day in our company’s history.” | Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr told the German public TV network ARD that Tuesday was the “blackest day in our company’s history.” |
| The disaster put a new focus on the A320, a workhorse of the skies that has now been at the center of a dozen fatal accidents since 1988. On Tuesday, European leaders launched a major international investigation to establish the cause of the crash of the Lufthansa jet, a company long known for its strong safety and maintenance standards but which in recent months has been dogged by bouts of labor unrest. | The disaster put a new focus on the A320, a workhorse of the skies that has now been at the center of a dozen fatal accidents since 1988. On Tuesday, European leaders launched a major international investigation to establish the cause of the crash of the Lufthansa jet, a company long known for its strong safety and maintenance standards but which in recent months has been dogged by bouts of labor unrest. |
| A spokeswoman for Lufthansa said that only one flight had been cancelled Wednesday. On Tuesday, several crew members did not show up for work, arguing they were “unfit to fly,” which resulted in at least 30 flight cancellations, she said. | A spokeswoman for Lufthansa said that only one flight had been cancelled Wednesday. On Tuesday, several crew members did not show up for work, arguing they were “unfit to fly,” which resulted in at least 30 flight cancellations, she said. |
| Aerial photos showed debris scattered across a five-acre expanse of frigid outcroppings. At least 10 coroners from Marseille traveled to the town of Seyne-les-Alpes to receive the bodies of victims. A stream of high-level ministers and leaders from across Europe headed to cities near the crash zone, and an official from Lufthansa said the company was weighing an offer to transport family members to the area. | Aerial photos showed debris scattered across a five-acre expanse of frigid outcroppings. At least 10 coroners from Marseille traveled to the town of Seyne-les-Alpes to receive the bodies of victims. A stream of high-level ministers and leaders from across Europe headed to cities near the crash zone, and an official from Lufthansa said the company was weighing an offer to transport family members to the area. |
| European leaders, meanwhile, tried to figure out the cause of Western Europe’s worst commercial air disaster in recent years. | European leaders, meanwhile, tried to figure out the cause of Western Europe’s worst commercial air disaster in recent years. |
| “It’s a tragedy on our soil,” said French President François Hollande, who was hosting Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia on a state visit at the time of the crash. The Spanish monarchs cut short their visit to return to Madrid amid what was shaping up to be a pan-European disaster response. | “It’s a tragedy on our soil,” said French President François Hollande, who was hosting Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia on a state visit at the time of the crash. The Spanish monarchs cut short their visit to return to Madrid amid what was shaping up to be a pan-European disaster response. |
| In Washington, a statement from a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council, Bernadette Meehan, said there was “no indication of a nexus to terrorism at this time.” Two European intelligence officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, also said there were no immediate indications of terrorism. | In Washington, a statement from a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council, Bernadette Meehan, said there was “no indication of a nexus to terrorism at this time.” Two European intelligence officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, also said there were no immediate indications of terrorism. |
| The Airbus A320 enjoys a track record as one of the safest jets in the skies. For every 1 million takeoffs, the A320 fleet has about 0.14 fatal accidents, according to a Boeing study that analyzed five decades of air disasters. That puts the A320 on par with the Boeing 777 as one of the most reliable commercial planes. | The Airbus A320 enjoys a track record as one of the safest jets in the skies. For every 1 million takeoffs, the A320 fleet has about 0.14 fatal accidents, according to a Boeing study that analyzed five decades of air disasters. That puts the A320 on par with the Boeing 777 as one of the most reliable commercial planes. |
| Yet the crash Tuesday follows a number of high-profile A320 crashes, including the loss in December of an AirAsia jet in the Java Sea that killed 162 passengers and crew during severe thunderstorms. Weather, however, was reported to have been clear and calm in the vicinity of the Germanwings flight Tuesday. | Yet the crash Tuesday follows a number of high-profile A320 crashes, including the loss in December of an AirAsia jet in the Java Sea that killed 162 passengers and crew during severe thunderstorms. Weather, however, was reported to have been clear and calm in the vicinity of the Germanwings flight Tuesday. |
| Responding to German media speculation that a computer glitch could have forced the plane into a steep dive, airline officials said they thought that had not caused the crash and that the A320’s computer systems were fully updated. | Responding to German media speculation that a computer glitch could have forced the plane into a steep dive, airline officials said they thought that had not caused the crash and that the A320’s computer systems were fully updated. |
| Asked whether the airline would ground its A320s, Germanwings chief executive Winkelmann said the planes have a “fabulous service record.” | |
| He said the aircraft lost Tuesday flew its first flight in 1990 and was purchased by Lufthansa in 1991. It was transferred to Germanwings last year and had flown 583,000 hours across 46,700 flights. | He said the aircraft lost Tuesday flew its first flight in 1990 and was purchased by Lufthansa in 1991. It was transferred to Germanwings last year and had flown 583,000 hours across 46,700 flights. |
| That makes it one of the older A320s but still within the average age of planes in service. Its most recent routine maintenance check, the company said, took place Monday in Düsseldorf, with the last full inspection of the aircraft in the summer of 2013. | That makes it one of the older A320s but still within the average age of planes in service. Its most recent routine maintenance check, the company said, took place Monday in Düsseldorf, with the last full inspection of the aircraft in the summer of 2013. |
| The flight’s captain, Winkelmann said, had more than 10 years of experience with Lufthansa and Germanwings and had logged more than 6,000 flight hours. | The flight’s captain, Winkelmann said, had more than 10 years of experience with Lufthansa and Germanwings and had logged more than 6,000 flight hours. |
| Yet aspects of the crash baffled experts. | Yet aspects of the crash baffled experts. |
| The plane’s descent was sudden, but it still took eight minutes. Some experts wondered why no distress signal was sent during that period. Others countered that no mayday would have been likely if the pilots were busy managing a catastrophic error. More surprising for some was that the plane ran into trouble mid-flight. | The plane’s descent was sudden, but it still took eight minutes. Some experts wondered why no distress signal was sent during that period. Others countered that no mayday would have been likely if the pilots were busy managing a catastrophic error. More surprising for some was that the plane ran into trouble mid-flight. |
| “The plane was cruising at 38,000 feet — planes don’t crash in cruise,” said Anthony Davis, a London-based aviation specialist. “They crash in takeoff or landing or they have engine failure, but it’s very unusual anything should happen at that altitude. | “The plane was cruising at 38,000 feet — planes don’t crash in cruise,” said Anthony Davis, a London-based aviation specialist. “They crash in takeoff or landing or they have engine failure, but it’s very unusual anything should happen at that altitude. |
| Following word of Tuesday’s crash, reception and information centers for family of victims were quickly set up in Barcelona and Düsseldorf. | Following word of Tuesday’s crash, reception and information centers for family of victims were quickly set up in Barcelona and Düsseldorf. |
| A full passenger list had yet to be released, but Winkelmann said 67 of the passengers appeared to be German nationals. The German Opera on the Rhine said one of its baritones, Oleg Bryjak, was on the flight. Germany, though, was gripped with the story of a group of 16 10th-graders and two teachers from Joseph König High School in Haltern, Germany, who were on the plane. Britain announced Wednesday three of its nationals were aboard the stricken aircraft. | A full passenger list had yet to be released, but Winkelmann said 67 of the passengers appeared to be German nationals. The German Opera on the Rhine said one of its baritones, Oleg Bryjak, was on the flight. Germany, though, was gripped with the story of a group of 16 10th-graders and two teachers from Joseph König High School in Haltern, Germany, who were on the plane. Britain announced Wednesday three of its nationals were aboard the stricken aircraft. |
| The German students had been on a one-week language exchange trip in Spain. A news broadcast by the German public TV network ARD showed groups of students standing in the schoolyard, looking distraught and lighting candles. | The German students had been on a one-week language exchange trip in Spain. A news broadcast by the German public TV network ARD showed groups of students standing in the schoolyard, looking distraught and lighting candles. |
| These events are so terrible that we haven’t processed them yet,” the school’s principal, Ulrich Wessel told journalists in Haltern, urging them to respect the students’ privacy. | These events are so terrible that we haven’t processed them yet,” the school’s principal, Ulrich Wessel told journalists in Haltern, urging them to respect the students’ privacy. |
| European officials said that at least 45 passengers were Spanish nationals, one was Belgian and an unknown number were Turkish. | European officials said that at least 45 passengers were Spanish nationals, one was Belgian and an unknown number were Turkish. |
| Daniela Deane reported from London. Anthony Faiola contributed from Leusden, Netherlands. Souad Mekhennet in Leusden, Brian Murphy and Abby Ohlheiser in Washington, Karla Adam in London and Cléophée Demoustier in Paris also contributed. | Daniela Deane reported from London. Anthony Faiola contributed from Leusden, Netherlands. Souad Mekhennet in Leusden, Brian Murphy and Abby Ohlheiser in Washington, Karla Adam in London and Cléophée Demoustier in Paris also contributed. |
| Read more: | |
| 10 major international airlines disasters in the last 50 years | 10 major international airlines disasters in the last 50 years |
| Just how safe is the Airbus A320 | Just how safe is the Airbus A320 |
| Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world | Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world |