This article is from the source 'nytimes' 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.nytimes.com/2015/04/04/world/europe/germanwings-crash.html
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Germanwings Co-Pilot Accelerated During Descent, Data From 2nd Recorder Shows | Germanwings Co-Pilot Accelerated During Descent, Data From 2nd Recorder Shows |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| PARIS — The co-pilot of the German airliner that crashed into the French Alps last week accelerated as he deliberately guided the aircraft toward the ground, France’s air accidents investigation body said on Friday, based on data from the plane’s second so-called black box. | PARIS — The co-pilot of the German airliner that crashed into the French Alps last week accelerated as he deliberately guided the aircraft toward the ground, France’s air accidents investigation body said on Friday, based on data from the plane’s second so-called black box. |
| Based on an initial reading of the plane’s flight data recorder, which was recovered from the crash site on Thursday, the Bureau of Investigations and Analyses, known by its French abbreviation B.E.A., said the data showed that the 27-year-old co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had used the autopilot to direct the plane to descend to an altitude of 100 feet. | Based on an initial reading of the plane’s flight data recorder, which was recovered from the crash site on Thursday, the Bureau of Investigations and Analyses, known by its French abbreviation B.E.A., said the data showed that the 27-year-old co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had used the autopilot to direct the plane to descend to an altitude of 100 feet. |
| Then, “several times during the course of the descent, the pilot adjusted the automatic pilot so as to increase the speed of the plane as it descended,” the B.E.A. said in a brief statement. | Then, “several times during the course of the descent, the pilot adjusted the automatic pilot so as to increase the speed of the plane as it descended,” the B.E.A. said in a brief statement. |
| The latest disclosure from the investigation adds to the mounting evidence in the days since the crash that Mr. Lubitz, who German prosecutors said had a history of depression, crashed the plane intentionally after locking the captain out of the cockpit, killing himself and 149 others aboard the Germanwings flight to Düsseldorf, Germany, from Barcelona, Spain, on March 24. | The latest disclosure from the investigation adds to the mounting evidence in the days since the crash that Mr. Lubitz, who German prosecutors said had a history of depression, crashed the plane intentionally after locking the captain out of the cockpit, killing himself and 149 others aboard the Germanwings flight to Düsseldorf, Germany, from Barcelona, Spain, on March 24. |
| Prosecutors in Germany revealed on Thursday that an iPad seized from Mr. Lubitz’s apartment in Düsseldorf showed that he had searched the Internet in the days immediately before the crash for information about how to commit suicide as well as the security measures for cockpit doors. | Prosecutors in Germany revealed on Thursday that an iPad seized from Mr. Lubitz’s apartment in Düsseldorf showed that he had searched the Internet in the days immediately before the crash for information about how to commit suicide as well as the security measures for cockpit doors. |
| Investigators have been scouring Mr. Lubitz’s recent and distant past in an effort to understand what he did and to determine whether someone could have stopped him. A person with knowledge of the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that at least half a dozen doctors from around Düsseldorf had come forward after the crash to say that they had treated him. | |
| The German newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported on Friday that Mr. Lubitz’s medical certification had a notation about his earlier depression and a warning that if his symptoms returned his license would be terminated. The magazine, citing an investigation summary, said that the offices of five doctors had been searched and Mr. Lubitz’s medical files taken as part of the inquiry, including neurologists and psychologists. | The German newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported on Friday that Mr. Lubitz’s medical certification had a notation about his earlier depression and a warning that if his symptoms returned his license would be terminated. The magazine, citing an investigation summary, said that the offices of five doctors had been searched and Mr. Lubitz’s medical files taken as part of the inquiry, including neurologists and psychologists. |
| While German medical-privacy laws provide significant protections to patients, doctors could come forward if they believed that a patient posed an imminent danger to others. “If the doctor is aware of a likely criminal act then he can break through his patient confidentiality,” said Hans Lilie, professor of criminal and medical law at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. | While German medical-privacy laws provide significant protections to patients, doctors could come forward if they believed that a patient posed an imminent danger to others. “If the doctor is aware of a likely criminal act then he can break through his patient confidentiality,” said Hans Lilie, professor of criminal and medical law at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. |
| For Germanwings and its parent company, Lufthansa, the question is whether anyone knew about his medical problems and should have pulled him from the cockpit. Airline representatives have repeatedly said that they had no knowledge of his recent difficulties. | For Germanwings and its parent company, Lufthansa, the question is whether anyone knew about his medical problems and should have pulled him from the cockpit. Airline representatives have repeatedly said that they had no knowledge of his recent difficulties. |
| Separately, French officials said on Thursday that cockpit audio recordings retrieved last week revealed that a speed warning signal sounded and was deactivated twice, indicating that Mr. Lubitz was most likely conscious during the plane’s descent. Previously, investigators had confirmed that he could be heard breathing on the recordings. | Separately, French officials said on Thursday that cockpit audio recordings retrieved last week revealed that a speed warning signal sounded and was deactivated twice, indicating that Mr. Lubitz was most likely conscious during the plane’s descent. Previously, investigators had confirmed that he could be heard breathing on the recordings. |
| Aviation analysts said the accumulation of evidence that has so far emerged from both the German and the French investigations into the crash appeared to point strongly toward an act of pilot suicide rather than any sort of technical failure of the plane. | Aviation analysts said the accumulation of evidence that has so far emerged from both the German and the French investigations into the crash appeared to point strongly toward an act of pilot suicide rather than any sort of technical failure of the plane. |
| “Everything points in that direction, and at the moment, there is nothing that points in another direction,” said David Learmount, an editor and specialist in air safety at Flightglobal, an aviation journal based in London. | “Everything points in that direction, and at the moment, there is nothing that points in another direction,” said David Learmount, an editor and specialist in air safety at Flightglobal, an aviation journal based in London. |
| “There is no question there is enough to prosecute,” Mr. Learmount said. “But the question is, is it inevitable that you have to prosecute someone?” | “There is no question there is enough to prosecute,” Mr. Learmount said. “But the question is, is it inevitable that you have to prosecute someone?” |
| He continued, “People who are dead are not brought to trial in a court.” | He continued, “People who are dead are not brought to trial in a court.” |
| France is one of a handful of countries that routinely seek criminal indictments in transportation accidents, regardless of whether there is clear evidence of criminal intent or negligence. Those criminal investigations, conducted by government prosecutors, are independent of the technical investigations done by the B.E.A., whose role is limited to determining the cause of a crash but not to apportion responsibility for it. | France is one of a handful of countries that routinely seek criminal indictments in transportation accidents, regardless of whether there is clear evidence of criminal intent or negligence. Those criminal investigations, conducted by government prosecutors, are independent of the technical investigations done by the B.E.A., whose role is limited to determining the cause of a crash but not to apportion responsibility for it. |
| It was not immediately clear whether Brice Robin, the French prosecutor in charge of the criminal investigation, would seek to build a criminal case in France. In the past, French prosecutors have pursued individuals, as well as airlines, over fatal crashes. | It was not immediately clear whether Brice Robin, the French prosecutor in charge of the criminal investigation, would seek to build a criminal case in France. In the past, French prosecutors have pursued individuals, as well as airlines, over fatal crashes. |
| Such cases do not always result in convictions, however. In 2012, a French appeals court overturned an involuntary manslaughter conviction against Continental Airlines for its role in the 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde jet outside Paris. A French court in 2006 also acquitted five former aviation officials and a former Airbus executive of all charges linked to the 1992 crash of a passenger jet in the mountains near the German border, which killed 87 people. | Such cases do not always result in convictions, however. In 2012, a French appeals court overturned an involuntary manslaughter conviction against Continental Airlines for its role in the 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde jet outside Paris. A French court in 2006 also acquitted five former aviation officials and a former Airbus executive of all charges linked to the 1992 crash of a passenger jet in the mountains near the German border, which killed 87 people. |