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Officials: co-pilot in German plane crash was treated for suicidal tendencies Officials: Co-pilot in German plane crash was treated for suicidal tendencies
(35 minutes later)
DÜSSELDORF, Germany — The co-pilot suspected of crashing a Germanwings jetliner had been treated years earlier for suicidal tendencies, German authorities said Monday, in a development that was sure to fuel an emerging debate about the limits of medical privacy.DÜSSELDORF, Germany — The co-pilot suspected of crashing a Germanwings jetliner had been treated years earlier for suicidal tendencies, German authorities said Monday, in a development that was sure to fuel an emerging debate about the limits of medical privacy.
Andreas Lubitz, 27, “had received psychotherapy for an extended period of time, during which suicidal tendencies had been noted,” Düsseldorf Prosecutor Christoph Kumpa said Monday. But he said the treatment occurred “several years ago,” before he was issued a pilot’s license. More recent encounters with doctors showed no suicidal tendencies, nor have investigators found any evidence of advance planning or any clear motive, Kumpa said. Andreas Lubitz, 27, “had received psychotherapy for an extended period of time, during which suicidal tendencies had been noted,” Düsseldorf prosecutor Christoph Kumpa said Monday. But he said the treatment occurred “several years ago,” before Lubitz was issued a pilot’s license. More recent encounters with doctors showed no suicidal tendencies, nor have investigators found any evidence of advance planning or any clear motive, Kumpa said.
The emerging revelations that Lubitz had faced psychological issues for years raised new questions about Germany’s expansive medical privacy laws, which constrain doctors’ abilities to speak out.
Some German politicians have called to rethink the restrictions in the name of safety. Lubitz plunged Germanwings Flight 9525 into the French Alps on Tuesday, killing all 150 passengers and crew members aboard.
Kumpa also said investigators have found no evidence that Lubitz was suffering from any physical ailments. An official familiar with the investigation said separately that Lubitz had been consulting doctors for vision issues but that those problems may have been psychosomatic.Kumpa also said investigators have found no evidence that Lubitz was suffering from any physical ailments. An official familiar with the investigation said separately that Lubitz had been consulting doctors for vision issues but that those problems may have been psychosomatic.
“Before he got his pilot’s license, the co-pilot had been in treatment with a psychotherapist because he was suicidal,” Kumpa told reporters. The revelations on Monday added to the portrait of Lubitz that has emerged in recent days: a man who had finally achieved his dreams of becoming an airline pilot but who was plagued by psychological conditions that may have driven him to fear losing his job.
Officials familiar with the investigation said earlier that Lubitz had consulted with several medical professionals about a vision issue that, coupled with preexisting psychological problems, appeared to give him a growing sense of unease about his ability to keep his job. Doctors had written official notes excusing him from work — including one on the day of the crash — but Lubitz had torn up at least one of them and had not passed them along to Germanwings.
German police, one official said Sunday, discovered documents in Lubitz’s apartment in his handwriting in which he had written short phrases conveying deep stress about vision issues. He appeared to believe that those problems were serious enough to challenge his ability to continue working as an airline pilot — a job that had been the longtime ambition of the reserved 27-year-old. Germany’s medical system generally relies on individuals to pass along information about their illnesses to their employers. Only in the most extreme of circumstances are doctors empowered to breach patient confidentiality, and they face steep legal repercussions if they are later deemed not to have met the bar.
Although there is no sign that Lubitz kept a diary, the papers made clear that he was concerned about his future. He had consulted several medical professionals about the issue, the official said, and investigators are examining the medical records they have collected from doctors.
A second official familiar with the investigation said German authorities, in their searches of Lubitz’s homes and belongings, also found prescription medications that showed he was being treated for psychological problems. Both officials agreed to talk on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
But investigators have discovered few obvious signs that Lubitz had planned a suicide or a deliberate crashing of a plane, and one working theory is that he altered Germanwings Flight 9525’s course on a deadly whim. When the flight’s more experienced pilot left the cockpit to go to the bathroom, Lubitz may have seized the opportunity to crash the plane, the first official said.
[How Germanwings Flight 9525 fell to Earth][How Germanwings Flight 9525 fell to Earth]
Investigators are examining Lubitz’s voluminous electronic trail, contained on an iPad, an iPhone and a computer. But nothing discovered thus far in his electronic history foreshadows the fatal incident, the official said. German and French investigators continued to sift Monday through the evidence they had seized from Lubitz’s two residences, including an iPhone, iPad and a computer. But Kumpa said there was no obvious reason in the “immediate personal or family environment that would give solid evidence of a possible motive.”
French investigators are working alongside their German counterparts in Düsseldorf, the official said. U.S. officials are also assisting from afar, because Americans died in the crash. The U.S. investigators have helped in tracking down Lubitz’s trail on Facebook, because they have better access to the U.S.-based social network than their European counterparts do. An official familiar with the investigation said Sunday that police had discovered papers with words and phrases in Lubitz’s handwriting suggesting deep stress about the future and about the vision problems, for which he had apparently been seeking treatment. The vision issues, layered on top of the preexisting psychological problems, appeared to make him fear losing his job, officials said.
On Sunday, Germany’s Bild newspaper disclosed new details about the “black box” recordings of the Airbus A320, which was en route from Barcelona to Düsseldorf and crashed Tuesday in the French Alps. All 150 passengers and crew on board were killed. Düsseldorf police said Monday that they had tasked about 200 officers to an “Alps Special Committee” to investigate the crash, of which 50 were investigating exclusively the criminal aspects of the case. Two French police officers have embedded with the German detectives in Düsseldorf, the Düsseldorf police agency said in a statement.
On Sunday, Germany’s Bild newspaper disclosed new details about the “black box” recordings of the Airbus A320, which was en route from Barcelona to Düsseldorf.
[A look inside an Airbus A320][A look inside an Airbus A320]
Early on, the flight’s captain is heard apologizing to passengers for a delayed takeoff. About 20 minutes later, the pilot is heard talking to Lubitz and mentioning that he did not make it to the bathroom in Barcelona before the flight. Lubitz — who, investigators say, initiated the fatal descent after the pilot left the cockpit — is heard saying that he is willing to take over at any time.Early on, the flight’s captain is heard apologizing to passengers for a delayed takeoff. About 20 minutes later, the pilot is heard talking to Lubitz and mentioning that he did not make it to the bathroom in Barcelona before the flight. Lubitz — who, investigators say, initiated the fatal descent after the pilot left the cockpit — is heard saying that he is willing to take over at any time.
At one point, according to Bild, the pilot asks Lubitz to plan for the flight’s landing in Düsseldorf. Lubitz is heard responding oddly, using conditional phrasing about the landing, such as “hopefully” and “we’ll see.”At one point, according to Bild, the pilot asks Lubitz to plan for the flight’s landing in Düsseldorf. Lubitz is heard responding oddly, using conditional phrasing about the landing, such as “hopefully” and “we’ll see.”
The pilot is heard exiting the cockpit and later attempts to get back in but is locked out. As the pilot grows more desperate to reenter the cockpit, a loud bang is heard; he appears to be trying to break down the door. He is heard shouting, “For God’s sake, open the door.”The pilot is heard exiting the cockpit and later attempts to get back in but is locked out. As the pilot grows more desperate to reenter the cockpit, a loud bang is heard; he appears to be trying to break down the door. He is heard shouting, “For God’s sake, open the door.”
Although French prosecutors have said that passengers’ screams were heard shortly before the crash, the Bild report suggests that the pilot’s frantic attempts to get back into the cockpit caused audible panic several minutes before the crash.Although French prosecutors have said that passengers’ screams were heard shortly before the crash, the Bild report suggests that the pilot’s frantic attempts to get back into the cockpit caused audible panic several minutes before the crash.
[Lubitz’s path from a young aspiring aviator to co-pilot][Lubitz’s path from a young aspiring aviator to co-pilot]
Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said Sunday that DNA traces of 78 victims had been found at the mountainside crash site, where investigators have been struggling with the logistics of the forbidding landscape. He said a road would be constructed by Monday that would ease the transport of debris for further examination. Investigators have not found key parts of the flight data recorder that would help them determine technical information about the plane’s final descent.Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said Sunday that DNA traces of 78 victims had been found at the mountainside crash site, where investigators have been struggling with the logistics of the forbidding landscape. He said a road would be constructed by Monday that would ease the transport of debris for further examination. Investigators have not found key parts of the flight data recorder that would help them determine technical information about the plane’s final descent.
Family members of the victims, meanwhile, were processing the loss of their loved ones. Very few have spoken publicly, but Philip Bramley, a British man whose son, Paul Bramley, was among the dead, read a statement to TV cameras Saturday calling the co-pilot’s motive for crashing the plane “not relevant.”Family members of the victims, meanwhile, were processing the loss of their loved ones. Very few have spoken publicly, but Philip Bramley, a British man whose son, Paul Bramley, was among the dead, read a statement to TV cameras Saturday calling the co-pilot’s motive for crashing the plane “not relevant.”
“What happened on the morning of 24 March was the act of a person who at the very least was ill,” he said. “If there was a motive or reason, we don’t want to hear it. It’s not relevant. What is relevant is this should never happen again. My son and everyone on that plane should not be forgotten ever.”“What happened on the morning of 24 March was the act of a person who at the very least was ill,” he said. “If there was a motive or reason, we don’t want to hear it. It’s not relevant. What is relevant is this should never happen again. My son and everyone on that plane should not be forgotten ever.”
One factor that remains a question mark in the case is how or whether Lubitz’s relationship with his girlfriend played a role in his state of mind at the time of the crash. The two had appeared to be living together at Lubitz’s apartment in Düsseldorf.One factor that remains a question mark in the case is how or whether Lubitz’s relationship with his girlfriend played a role in his state of mind at the time of the crash. The two had appeared to be living together at Lubitz’s apartment in Düsseldorf.
The woman, whom the German news outlet Der Spiegel described as a math teacher, has been interviewed by authorities.The woman, whom the German news outlet Der Spiegel described as a math teacher, has been interviewed by authorities.
Faiola reported from Montabaur, Germany. Stephanie Kirchner in Montabaur contributed to this report.Faiola reported from Montabaur, Germany. Stephanie Kirchner in Montabaur contributed to this report.
Read more:
How a pilot can be locked out of the cockpit
Flight 9525’s final moments, minute by minute