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| French prosecutor: Co-pilot of doomed flight sought to ‘destroy the plane’ | French prosecutor: Co-pilot of doomed flight sought to ‘destroy the plane’ |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| DÜSSELDORF, Germany — A French prosecutor said Thursday that the co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings flight wanted to “destroy the plane,” adding a stunning twist as the investigation shifted to a possible suicide dive that killed all 150 people aboard. | |
| The statement came after reports that the recovered cockpit voice recorder indicated the pilot was locked out of the cockpit before the A320 slammed into the French Alps on Tuesday after an eight-minute descent. | The statement came after reports that the recovered cockpit voice recorder indicated the pilot was locked out of the cockpit before the A320 slammed into the French Alps on Tuesday after an eight-minute descent. |
| “I see this as deliberate,” the Marseille-based prosecutor, Brice Robin, told reporters. | |
| His account offered a chilling and calculating scenario: the plane descending in a steep, but steady, rate that did not appear to startle most passengers until it was clear the plane was on a collision course with the snow-bound peaks in southern France. | |
| “The screams are not heard until the very last moments,” Robin said. | |
| Robin also said the flight recorder showed the co-pilot — identified as Andreas Lubitz — did not say a word once the captain left the cockpit. All that was heard was his breathing. | |
| “It was absolute silence in the cockpit,” Robin said, despite reports that the audio had the sounds of someone — apparently the pilot — banging on the door. | “It was absolute silence in the cockpit,” Robin said, despite reports that the audio had the sounds of someone — apparently the pilot — banging on the door. |
| Robin said the co-pilot had no known links to suspected terrorist groups, but noted the investigation remained wide open. | Robin said the co-pilot had no known links to suspected terrorist groups, but noted the investigation remained wide open. |
| [The American mother and daughter aboard the doomed flight] | |
| “People who commit suicide usually do so alone . . . I don’t call it a suicide,” he said. | “People who commit suicide usually do so alone . . . I don’t call it a suicide,” he said. |
| Lubitz, 28, had been flying with Germanwings since September 2013 and had flown 630 hours, said Lufthansa, the parent company of the budget carrier. | |
| In his native village of Montabaur, about 50 miles northwest of Frankfurt, Lubitz had been a member of a local aviation club since he was a teenager. | |
| “Andreas became a member of the association and wanted his dream of flying to be realized. He began in the gliding school and made it to become a pilot,” read a statement on the Web site of the club, Luftsportclub Westerwald. | |
| Germany’s interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, said checks on domestic police and intelligence databases on the day of the crash turned up no red flags concerning Lubitz. | |
| “We at Lufthansa are speechless,” said the carrier’s CEO, Carsten Spohr. | |
| The New York Times quoted an unidentified investigator Thursday as saying the cockpit audio depicts someone knocking with increasing urgency — and force — on the cockpit door. | The New York Times quoted an unidentified investigator Thursday as saying the cockpit audio depicts someone knocking with increasing urgency — and force — on the cockpit door. |
| The Times quoted the source as saying: “And then he hits the door stronger and no answer. There is never an answer.” | The Times quoted the source as saying: “And then he hits the door stronger and no answer. There is never an answer.” |
| [A look inside the A320] | [A look inside the A320] |
| The captain of the plane had more than 6,000 hours of flying time and had been a Germanwings pilot since May 2014, having previously flown for Lufthansa and Condor, Lufthansa said, according to news reports. | |
| An Airbus training video shows that the cockpit door of the doomed A320 plane has safeguards in case one pilot becomes incapacitated inside while the other remains outside, or if both pilots inside were to lose consciousness. It is unclear whether the co-pilot could have disabled the fail-safe systems or otherwise blocked the cockpit. | An Airbus training video shows that the cockpit door of the doomed A320 plane has safeguards in case one pilot becomes incapacitated inside while the other remains outside, or if both pilots inside were to lose consciousness. It is unclear whether the co-pilot could have disabled the fail-safe systems or otherwise blocked the cockpit. |
| To get into the cockpit, one normally needs to request access and is visible via a camera feed or through a peephole. | To get into the cockpit, one normally needs to request access and is visible via a camera feed or through a peephole. |
| If there is no response, a member of the flight crew can tap in an emergency code. If there is still no response, the door opens automatically. | If there is no response, a member of the flight crew can tap in an emergency code. If there is still no response, the door opens automatically. |
| If a person has been denied access, the door remains locked for five minutes, according to the training video. | If a person has been denied access, the door remains locked for five minutes, according to the training video. |
| Among the dead — 144 passengers and six crew — were three Americans, the State Department said. The other victims of the crash were mainly from Germany and Spain on the flight between the two countries. | Among the dead — 144 passengers and six crew — were three Americans, the State Department said. The other victims of the crash were mainly from Germany and Spain on the flight between the two countries. |
| [The plane’s final moments, minute by minute ] | [The plane’s final moments, minute by minute ] |
| “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 Wednesday along a frozen ridge in southern France. “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 Wednesday along a frozen ridge in southern France. “We must now stand together. We are united in our grief.” |
| “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. |
| On Wednesday, the leaders of France, Germany and Spain visited the alpine meadow that has become the staging ground for the recovery efforts. | On Wednesday, the leaders of France, Germany and Spain visited the alpine meadow that has become the staging ground for the recovery efforts. |
| Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he was “shocked by the latest details provided by investigators.” | |
| The French prosecutor’s statement raised parallels with the rare cases of apparently intentional crashes of passenger planes. | The French prosecutor’s statement raised parallels with the rare cases of apparently intentional crashes of passenger planes. |
| In 1999, an Egypt Air plane went into a steep plunge after taking off from New York bound for Cairo, crashing into the Atlantic and killing all 217 people aboard. Investigators concluded that a mechanical malfunction was highly unlikely. | |
| In 1994, the pilot on a Royal Air Maroc flight appeared to intentionally slam the plane into a Moroccan mountainside. All 44 people on board were killed. | In 1994, the pilot on a Royal Air Maroc flight appeared to intentionally slam the plane into a Moroccan mountainside. All 44 people on board were killed. |
| Murphy reported from Washington. | Murphy reported from Washington. |
| Read more: | Read more: |
| Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world | Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world |