# Germanwings Plane Black Box Found As Mystery Surrounds Alps Crash



## MULTIZ321 (Mar 25, 2015)

Germanwings Plane Black Box Found As Mystery Surrounds Alps Crash - by Kim Willsher/ World/ TheGuardian.com

"French air investigators are urgently examining a black box cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from a Germanwings Airbus A-320 to try to solve the mystery of why the aircraft crashed into a mountain in the southern Alps, killing all 150 people on board.

Investigators are puzzled as to why the crew did not send out a mayday or distress signal as flight U49525 rapidly lost altitude for eight minutes, or why the pilot did not change course to avoid smashing into a rocky ravine at around 430mph (700kmh).

In the last 10 minutes of the flight there was total radio silence from the crew of the Barcelona–Düsseldorf flight operated by Lufthansa’s low-cost subsidiary..."


Richard


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## tompalm (Mar 25, 2015)

One pilot was locked out of cockpit.  There should have been a flight attendant inside the cockpit with the pilot flying, but the crew might not have done that.  NY Times article below. 


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/w...lumn-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0


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## Mr. Vker (Mar 26, 2015)

tompalm said:


> One pilot was locked out of cockpit.  There should have been a flight attendant inside the cockpit with the pilot flying, but the crew might not have done that.  NY Times article below.
> 
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/w...lumn-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0



Most LCC's don't have the extra FA to do that-even in the US. SWA doesn't put a FA in the cockpit when a pilot exits. Larger carriers do. I think it should be universal. 

As the controls of an A320 are on the side, AND to lock the pilot out requires a deliberate act, the situation looks very suspect. (There is a keypad for a combination to be entered unless the crew in the cockpit shuts that out.)

The co-pilot had only been with the airline about 15 months. 

Interesting video on operating cockpit door.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixEHV7c3VXs


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## Tia (Mar 26, 2015)

http://news.yahoo.com/official-1-pilot-locked-crash-plane-cockpit-072049706.html?clear-cache

''...  In the meantime, co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, a 28-year-old German, manually and "intentionally" set the plane on the descent that drove it into the mountain.

Robin said the commander of the plane knocked several times "without response." He said the door could only be blocked manually.

He said the co-pilot's responses, initially courteous, became "curt" when the captain began the mid-flight briefing on the planned landing....''


Adding another interesting link http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...cide-and-mass-murder-by-copilot-10135713.html


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## Pens_Fan (Mar 26, 2015)

Mr. Vker said:


> Most LCC's don't have the extra FA to do that-even in the US. SWA doesn't put a FA in the cockpit when a pilot exits. Larger carriers do. I think it should be universal.
> 
> As the controls of an A320 are on the side, AND to lock the pilot out requires a deliberate act, the situation looks very suspect. (There is a keypad for a combination to be entered unless the crew in the cockpit shuts that out.)
> 
> ...



I have been on several flights where I have watched the pilot or copilot leave the cockpit to use the first class bathroom.

I have witnessed the flight attendant block the aisle deliberately at the front of first class and the galley with the drink cart, but I have never seen them go into the cockpit while the pilot was out.


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## easyrider (Mar 26, 2015)

What may be odd about this crash is that this aircraft was equipped with a hijack recovery system that could have been activated without pilot communication. There was plenty of time to activate this system.

A320's are pretty much an automated aircraft with three computers running the aircraft. Two out of three of these computers have to agree on all actions. Its hard to believe that these computers would deliberately lock out the anti hijack systems when the co pilot took control of the plane cockpit.

A320's also have collision avoidance software running on three separate systems. Why didn't these activate ?

Bill


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## Chrispee (Mar 26, 2015)

easyrider said:


> What may be odd about this crash is that this aircraft was equipped with a hijack recovery system that could have been activated without pilot communication. There was plenty of time to activate this system.
> 
> A320's are pretty much an automated aircraft with three computers running the aircraft. Two out of three of these computers have to agree on all actions. Its hard to believe that these computers would deliberately lock out the anti hijack systems when the co pilot took control of the plane cockpit.
> 
> ...



I'm not sure how you figure < 10 minutes is "plenty of time" to activate the hijack recovery system.  The problem isn't the actual activation of the system, it's the approval from someone on the ground from Germanwings.  It's not like the plane was squawking 7500 on the transponder or a mayday call was made, they probably didn't have more than 5 minutes on the ground to realize there was a serious problem.

The redundancy of control computers in the A320 isn't for anti-hijack purposes, it's because Airbus uses electronic controls (rather than hydraulic controls).  That redundancy is built in to assure control of the plane if a circuit gets broken, or there is damage to the plane in a wiring spot etc.

Guaranteed the terrain avoidance system went off when the plane was about to slam into the mountain, but like everything in an airplane the electronic systems are designed for manual override by the pilot when he/she sees fit.  I sure wouldn't want that to change.

When it all comes down to it, if someone wants to kill 150 people they're probably going to find a way.


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## Ken555 (Mar 26, 2015)

FWIW, I've flown on Germanwings once (Koln-Milan) and it was a good flight. I'd have no hesitation flying them again. That said, I suspect psychological assessments of pilots will become a standard after this terrible incident.


Sent from my iPad


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## Passepartout (Mar 26, 2015)

Ken555 said:


> That said, I suspect psychological assessments of pilots will become a standard after this terrible incident.d



They already are and this co-pilot passed. Bottom line, there is no defense when someone in command of an inherently deadly machine snaps. 

Doing away with the non- overrideable (is that a word?) door lock would help.

Jim


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## Ken555 (Mar 26, 2015)

Passepartout said:


> They already are and this co-pilot passed. Bottom line, there is no defense when someone in command of an inherently deadly machine snaps.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




They are? I read the opposite.


Sent from my iPad


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## Passepartout (Mar 26, 2015)

Ken555 said:


> They are? I read the opposite.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



Lufthansa is calling them Security tests, and he passed them twice.


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## Ken555 (Mar 26, 2015)

Passepartout said:


> Lufthansa is calling them Security tests, and he passed them twice.




CNN states that they only question during the hiring process and not afterwards. I suppose there is not yet accurate info on this topic being reported everywhere. 


Sent from my iPad


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## tompalm (Mar 26, 2015)

Passepartout said:


> Bottom line, there is no defense when someone in command of an inherently deadly machine snaps.
> 
> Doing away with the non- overrideable (is that a word?) door lock would help.
> 
> Jim



The debate now is about requiring an extra person to be in the cockpit when one of the pilots leave the cockpit.  Some airlines have that and others don't.  Devil's advocate would say that if you put a flight attendant in there to watch one pilot and that flight attendant wants to crash the plane, it would be very easy for the flight attendant to take the crash ax and kill the pilot and crash the plane.  So if they require an extra person in the cockpit, that person also needs screening.  I don't think the extra person rule will fix the problem.  It can only make it worse.  The second person in the cockpit rule gets ignored by pilots and flight attendants at a lot of airlines. If the flight attendants are busy, the pilots will just leave the cockpit and ignore the rule.  

Regarding switch inside the cockpit that allows the pilots to override the code from outside:  that needs to stay like that so pilots can prevent someone from entering.  The code is supposed to be secret, but maintenance folks need to know it for working on the aircraft and a lot of pilots end up telling flight attendants the code because they might be married to them or good friends with them.  Some flight attendants just feel safer if they know everything.  In any event, too many people know the code and if both pilots are sitting in the cockpit flying the plane and the alarm goes off indicating that someone is trying to get in the cockpit, the pilots need to cancel that entry.  I will say that alarm would be very disturbing and most pilots would probably get out of their chair and be ready to guard the door with a crash ax or in some cases a gun if they were authorized to carry one.  

The true fix to the problem lies with pilots turning their friends, or coworkers in that might be having problems.   Alcoholism is a big problem that goes on and is often observed but never reported at each airline.  A few pilots violate the 12 hour rule too often and everyone knows about it but says nothing.  Later you see on the 6 p.m. news that a pilot (Aloha Airlines and others) was stopped by TSA and found to be heavily intoxicated.  Or, in another situation the pilots (NW Airlines) fell asleep  in the cockpit and woke up after they passed their destination.  The media investigates and reports both pilots were drinking heavily in the bar the night before, or maybe 8 hours prior to check-in.   The point is that pilots have a fraternity or brotherhood and it will take a lot of training and a culture change to convince them that ratting out your friend is necessary.  Years ago I was a commercial pilot and saw these things and said nothing.  It bothered me then and it still bothers me.  I haven't flown since 2009, but I am pretty sure it still goes on.   The majors in the USA (American, Delta, United)  or by far the best airlines in the world with the best pilots and maintenance.  We are all a lot safer with them, but nobody is perfect.


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## easyrider (Mar 26, 2015)

wow



Bill


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## Passepartout (Mar 26, 2015)

I suppose the investigation of this young man's life will be exhaustive. Every move he's made, every friend he's had, every group he ever associated with, every phone call and email he's made or received. The court of public opinion will be judge, and jury. No executioner needed.

I'd like to have been a fly on the wall for the conversation he had with the pilot in command that has been described as going from professional and casual to 'curt' when the pilot began briefing the co-pilot on the landing. Something clearly set him off.

Jim


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## puppymommo (Mar 26, 2015)

Passepartout said:


> I'd like to have been a fly on the wall for the conversation he had with the pilot in command that has been described as going from professional and casual to 'curt' when the pilot began briefing the co-pilot on the landing. Something clearly set him off.



My take on it is that he became 'curt' when the pilot began to talk about the landing because he already knew that there would be no landing.


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## Ken555 (Mar 26, 2015)

easyrider said:


> I wonder if the evidence will somehow show a muslim tie to Yemen to rally support to liberate Yemen.




This type of public comment without supporting evidence is totally inappropriate. 


Sent from my iPad


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## easyrider (Mar 27, 2015)

wow wow

Bill


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## Ken555 (Mar 27, 2015)

easyrider said:


> [Deleted:  political]
> 
> I realize this doesn't prove anything other than my reasoning has merit and actual supporters.
> 
> Bill




So? There are silly uninformed people who will believe anything. Show me the facts and stop inflaming fear without proof.


Sent from my iPad


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## easyrider (Mar 27, 2015)

what

Bill


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## Chrispee (Mar 27, 2015)

easyrider said:


> The anti collision system should have kicked in automatically. It looks like the co pilot changed the altitude settings of the auto pilot to 96 ft. The other systems should have over ride this.



Like I said, the anti collision system would have kicked in for sure, but the pilot would be able to override it with the stick. There are a huge number of ways for a pilot to crash a plane even if there are two on the flight deck so really all of this protocol stuff is a facade for the public.


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## Ken555 (Mar 27, 2015)

easyrider said:


> Ken, that was just one of many bits of media from those silly uninformed people we call terrorists. I bet there will be many more pieces like the removed link coming up in the next few days.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Bill,

You seem to think reality is just like an action movie where one seemingly independent action is directly connected to another thousands of miles away. I find fault with this default position, as proved by your posts here over time. Without proof of connection your posts ignorantly increase fear and reactionary opinions. This is the type of ignorance which has done such harm to us in the last 15 years. Question your sources, question your initial conclusion, and for goodness sake don't post extreme positions without proof.

Ken


Sent from my iPad


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## WinniWoman (Mar 27, 2015)

I thought I read somewhere that fuel had been dumped so the plane could not be taken over remotely even if it didn't crash as there wouldn't be enough fuel to make it to the airport? Would explain why there was no fire supposedly? Also, they have refused to reveal his religion. I think there is more here than depression....maybe bi-polar? A lot of questions for sure.


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## Tia (Mar 27, 2015)

http://www.theguardian.com/world/20...lot-andreas-lubitzs-background-under-scrutiny


''...On Friday however, the German newspaper Bild said that the Lufthansa flight school in Phoenix, Arizona had designated Lubitz at the time as “not suitable for flying”...The newspaper said he spent a year-and-a-half receiving psychiatric treatment. Several times he was forced to repeat his flying classes because of depression, before he successfully finished his training. In 2009 he was diagnosed with a “severe depressive episode”, Bild reported. Süddeutsche Zeitung said the sick note in question was written by a psychiatrist in the Rhineland. ...''


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## Mr. Vker (Mar 27, 2015)

mpumilia said:


> I thought I read somewhere that fuel had been dumped so the plane could not be taken over remotely even if it didn't crash as there wouldn't be enough fuel to make it to the airport? Would explain why there was no fire supposedly? Also, they have refused to reveal his religion. I think there is more here than depression....maybe bi-polar? A lot of questions for sure.



I don't think the Airbus can dump fuel like Boeing can. That's why the Jetblue a few years ago had to circle for hours with twisted landing gear before attempting to land. They didn't have that ability.


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## silentg (Mar 27, 2015)

Just such a sad situation. We put our fate into the hands of pilots each time we fly. This was a deliberate act by a disturbed individual. This will not deter me from flying ,a random act  in the world. If we are afraid to live our lives then we would not go anywhere or do anything. 
TerryC


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## easyrider (Mar 27, 2015)

holy moley


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## easyrider (Mar 27, 2015)

wow wow

Bill


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## wilma (Mar 27, 2015)

easyrider said:


> I wonder if the evidence will somehow show a muslim tie to Yemen to rally support to liberate Yemen.
> 
> Bill



Agree with ken, truly bizarre speculative leap.....


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## easyrider (Mar 27, 2015)

wow wow

Bill


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## Ken555 (Mar 27, 2015)

easyrider said:


> Ken, so even when you see the proof you wanted your going to continue to rag about my post and suggest it was ignorant. Your last comment is coming off as narcissistic and somewhat doltish, imo.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




No, Bill. If you have proof then I'd be appreciative of reading about it, but instead you have speculative fiction that only creates fear and serves no other purpose. Every time I see you post like this I will likely respond - get used to it. Bring the proof and I'd probably agree with your conclusions, assuming they make sense. Without proof this is worse than not saying anything, since all you do is build upon stereotypes that have already cost so many so much...unnecessarily. 

It seems the evidence now points to personal problems the pilot was experiencing. That's a far cry from connecting him to an Islamic terrorist organization. Get real.


Sent from my iPad


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## Ken555 (Mar 27, 2015)

easyrider said:


> Here is another article saying this crash has a terrorist connection.
> 
> http://speisa.com/modules/articles/...ermanwings-airbus-was-a-convert-to-islam.html
> 
> ...




This is pure speculation. When they have proof of a connection to any organized terrorist group we should discuss it, but any comments prior to then would be premature. There's no extra points for creating fear unnecessarily. 


Sent from my iPad


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## DeniseM (Mar 27, 2015)

Bill:  Besides that fact that your "proof" comes from websites that are the equivalent of the National Enquirer, how do you think this wild speculation makes Tuggers of the Islamic faith feel?  

It's prejudice, plain and simple.


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## Passepartout (Mar 27, 2015)

easyrider said:


> We have recently cancelled our RCI exchange requests to Eastern Europe after the recent attacks on US soldiers in Turkey. Egypt is off for us as well.
> Bill



In your case, this is probably a wise move. To replace your irrational, propaganda driven prejudice with factual knowledge of people in societies hundreds of years older might upset you. 

FWIW, so far the subject crash we're discussing here seems to be the work of one deranged individual, distraught about his girlfriend's splitting up with him, and a so-far unknown illness that SHOULD have stopped him from flying. No connection has been shown with any group, religious, political, or otherwise.

Jim


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## wilma (Mar 27, 2015)

easyrider, i have put you on my ignore list so you can stop sending the private messages!


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## "Roger" (Mar 27, 2015)

From the New York Times ....

The German investigators said they had not found a suicide note or “any indication of a political or religious” nature among the documents from Mr. Lubitz’s apartment.


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## DaveNV (Mar 28, 2015)

silentg said:


> Just such a sad situation. We put our fate into the hands of pilots each time we fly. This was a deliberate act by a disturbed individual. This will not deter me from flying ,a random act  in the world. If we are afraid to live our lives then we would not go anywhere or do anything.
> TerryC





Terry, I agree with you.  "A random act in the world" is a valid assessment of this tragedy.

The month after 9/11, nobody was flying anywhere.  I fell into roundtrip airfare from Seattle to Orlando for $125 per person. I was able to book a four-star hotel in the Orlando area for about $50 per night. I got Park Hopper tickets from the Navy base near me (I'm retired Navy, and have base privileges) for about $100 per person.  I managed to put together a week long trip to Disney World, with meals, for around $1000 all in.  It was an incredible trip, the Parks were very empty (no lines = no waiting), and the Park staff was almost relieved to have visitors to talk to.

As I was planning the trip, a coworker was freaking out, giving me all sorts of grief over it.  She was convinced that flying was the most horrible thing I could consider doing.  I repeatedly explained that it was likely the safest time to fly EVER, and that frankly, if everybody stayed home shaking in their boots, then the terrorists win.  I was not about to stand for that.  So I went on my trip, had a perfect time, felt zero risk, and it made some great memories.  

When I got back, that coworker was first in line to ask me about how it went, living vicariously through me.  As she walked away, she was muttering, "You always go on the BEST vacations!"  

Dave


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## MULTIZ321 (Mar 28, 2015)

Germanairwings Air Crash Co-Pilot Lubitz Knew French Alps - from BBC News/ World/ bbc.com

"The co-pilot suspected of crashing a German airliner into the French Alps, killing himself and 149 others, knew the region from gliding holidays.

A member of the Montabaur flight school where Andreas Lubitz took lessons confirmed to BBC News the co-pilot had flown a glider over the region.

Mr Lubitz was on holiday at the time, several years ago, Dieter Wagner said.

A French newspaper reports that the co-pilot holidayed at a local flying club with his parents from the age of nine..."







Richard


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## MULTIZ321 (Mar 28, 2015)

Lurking Behind the Germanwings Cockpit Door - by Erika Armstrong/ Author, Pilot, Aviation Analyst/ Pilot Recruiter/ Editor/ linkedin.com

"Anytime there is an aircraft accident or incident, pilots have to sit back and piece together what the media has to offer regarding the facts just like everyone else. We get a piece of information here and there that makes sense, and we methodically pull it together in our minds. We close our eyes and see what could’ve happened. Sure, we speculate, but we try and do it without judgement. We picture ourselves in the pilot seat dealing with the same emergency and we can see what happened and why the error occurred. We do that so we can learn and make sure it never happens again. Pilots compartmentalize past accidents into knowledge..."







Richard


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## WinniWoman (Mar 28, 2015)

_[Deleted.]_

Yours was not the only post deleted from this thread by TUGBrian.  But please note in the TUG Posting Rules: 





> *7. Honor changes entered by moderators*
> ... In addition, do not enter complaints about moderation into BBS messages. Such posts will be considered off-topic and will be removed. Any such complaints or discussion should be communicated to the bbs staff directly via email or personal message.



Please contact Brian with any further concerns.


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## Tia (Mar 28, 2015)

The articles read that the copilot wasn't suppose to be flying that day. He tore up the not fit for duty doctors letters, they found them at his home. Guess there needs to be a direct way for the employer to be notified rather then depend on the unfit pilot to deliver the communication he wasn't suppose to fly?


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## MULTIZ321 (Mar 28, 2015)

Alps Crash Pilot Told Ex 'Everyone Will Know My Name  - by  By Raphaelle Logerot with Kate Millar in Berlin / Yahoo!News/ yahoo.com

Richard


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## Zac495 (Mar 28, 2015)

This was a terrible  tragedy. Co-pilot a pure monster. Easyrider - I resent you suggesting anything about any religion. Most people are good. I hope our Muslim tugger friends know the rest of us feel this way.


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## SMHarman (Mar 28, 2015)

Mr. Vker said:


> I don't think the Airbus can dump fuel like Boeing can. That's why the Jetblue a few years ago had to circle for hours with twisted landing gear before attempting to land. They didn't have that ability.


Of course they can. Dumping fuel is an environmental disaster so in the example of JetBlue it is better to burn than dump an oil slick into the Atlantic when the US East Coast is hanging out on the Beach / Shore.


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## SMHarman (Mar 28, 2015)

silentg said:


> Just such a sad situation. We put our fate into the hands of pilots each time we fly. This was a deliberate act by a disturbed individual. This will not deter me from flying ,a random act  in the world. If we are afraid to live our lives then we would not go anywhere or do anything.
> TerryC


And other drivers each time we get in our cars and Bus Drivers and Train Drivers (who can easily have nearer 1000 on board)


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## SMHarman (Mar 28, 2015)

BMWguynw said:


> Terry, I agree with you.  "A random act in the world" is a valid assessment of this tragedy.
> 
> The month after 9/11, nobody was flying anywhere.  I fell into roundtrip airfare from Seattle to Orlando for $125 per person. I was able to book a four-star hotel in the Orlando area for about $50 per night. I got Park Hopper tickets from the Navy base near me (I'm retired Navy, and have base privileges) for about $100 per person.  I managed to put together a week long trip to Disney World, with meals, for around $1000 all in.  It was an incredible trip, the Parks were very empty (no lines = no waiting), and the Park staff was almost relieved to have visitors to talk to.
> 
> ...


Yep. I spent 3 weeks in Bali and Lombok. The Sheraton Nusa Dua for $100 a night ground floor with direct access to the enormous pool surrounding the hotel. Sheraton Senggi for $40 a night. Crazy cheap.


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## easyrider (Mar 28, 2015)

Zac495 said:


> This was a terrible  tragedy. Co-pilot a pure monster. Easyrider - I resent you suggesting anything about any religion. Most people are good. I hope our Muslim tugger friends know the rest of us feel this way.



I have zero tolerance for religious prejudices. I have zero tolerance for terrorist who use religion as a guise. I already apologized for any misunderstandings and for some reason my apology probably caused as much problem as my original thoughts and was moderator deleted.


Bill


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## Zac495 (Mar 28, 2015)

easyrider said:


> I have zero tolerance for religious prejudices. I have zero tolerance for terrorist who use religion as a guise. I already apologized for any misunderstandings and for some reason my apology probably caused as much problem as my original thoughts and was moderator deleted.
> 
> 
> Bill



Okay good!


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## MULTIZ321 (Mar 28, 2015)

Reports: Germanwings Co-Pilot Dumped by Girlfriend Day Before Crash, Being Treated for Depression - From Fox News/ World/ foxnews.com

"The co-pilot Andreas Lubitz who steered an airline with 150 people on board into a French mountainside had been dumped by his girlfriend the day prior to the crash and was undergoing treatment for depression from a doctor, according to reports Saturday.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Lubitz was under the care of a neuropsychologist for depression. The doctor gave Lubitz a note excusing him from the work the day of the crash but he ignored the advice and reported to work, the paper said, citing a person familiar with the investigation.

Lubitz, 27, and his girlfriend of seven years shared an apartment in Dusseldorf and planned to get married in 2016, a French TV station said, according to the New York Post. But the day before the crash, the fiancée ended the relationship, Channel iTELE claimed..."

Richard


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## MULTIZ321 (Mar 28, 2015)

German Airline Could Face 'Unlimited' Damages for Alps Crash - From Associated Press (AP)/ News & Record/ news-record.com

"STOCKHOLM (AP) — Lufthansa could face "unlimited" compensation claims for the crash that killed 150 people in the French alps and it would be difficult, even counterproductive, for the German carrier to try to avoid liability, experts said Friday.

Under a treaty governing deaths and injuries aboard international flights, airlines are required to compensate relatives of victims for proven damages of up to a limit currently set at about $157,000 — regardless of what caused the crash.

But higher compensation is possible if a carrier is held liable..."





Martin Meissner/AP

A firefighter stands in front of candles and flowers on the steps to the Joseph-Koenig high school in Haltern, Germany, Friday, March 27, 2015 prior to a mourning service . Sixteen students and two teachers from that school died in the Germanwings plane crash in the French alps killing 150 people on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)


Richard


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## HatTrick (Mar 28, 2015)

Mr. Vker said:


> I don't think the Airbus can dump fuel like Boeing can. That's why the Jetblue a few years ago had to circle for hours with twisted landing gear before attempting to land. They didn't have that ability.





SMHarman said:


> Of course they can. Dumping fuel is an environmental disaster so in the example of JetBlue it is better to burn than dump an oil slick into the Atlantic when the US East Coast is hanging out on the Beach / Shore.



_[M]ost twin jet airliners ... such as the Boeing 737 (all models), the DC-9/MD80 and Boeing 717, *the A320 family* and various regional jet ("RJ") aircraft do not have fuel dump systems installed. In the event of an emergency, requiring a return to the departure airport, the aircraft circles nearby in order to consume fuel to get down to within the maximum structural landing weight limit, or, if the situation demands, simply lands overweight without delay. Modern aircraft are designed with possible overweight landings in mind, but this is not done except in cases of emergency, and various maintenance inspections are required afterwards._

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_dumping#Aircraft_fuel_dump


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## Mr. Vker (Mar 28, 2015)

SMHarman said:


> Of course they can. Dumping fuel is an environmental disaster so in the example of JetBlue it is better to burn than dump an oil slick into the Atlantic when the US East Coast is hanging out on the Beach / Shore.



Of course they can't. I should have posted relative link...see post above. Thanks to that poster for doing that for me.

Dumped fuel is actually not an environmental disaster. It evaporates quickly.


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## MULTIZ321 (Mar 28, 2015)

The Germanwings Investigation Presses On - by Noah Gordon/ Global/ TheAtlantic.com

 "Investigators have identified the three American passengers on the doomed flight, as well as more information about the co-pilot.

After the shock of a disaster, the world looks for answers. As such, more information has emerged over the last 24 hours about the identities of the victims—and the pilots—of the Germanwings plane crash on Tuesday in the French Alps..."





Eric Gaillard/Reuters


Richard


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## SMHarman (Mar 28, 2015)

SMHarman said:


> Of course they can. Dumping fuel is an environmental disaster so in the example of JetBlue it is better to burn than dump an oil slick into the Atlantic when the US East Coast is hanging out on the Beach / Shore.





HatTrick said:


> _[M]ost twin jet airliners ... such as the Boeing 737 (all models), the DC-9/MD80 and Boeing 717, *the A320 family* and various regional jet ("RJ") aircraft do not have fuel dump systems installed. In the event of an emergency, requiring a return to the departure airport, the aircraft circles nearby in order to consume fuel to get down to within the maximum structural landing weight limit, or, if the situation demands, simply lands overweight without delay. Modern aircraft are designed with possible overweight landings in mind, but this is not done except in cases of emergency, and various maintenance inspections are required afterwards._
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_dumping#Aircraft_fuel_dump


We'll there you have it neither the Boeing or Airbus single isles have or need fuel dump tech. However their multi isle 'craft do so when you say Boeing can and Airbus can't that is not exactly accurate either. 



Mr. Vker said:


> Of course they can't. I should have posted relative link...see post above. Thanks to that poster for doing that for me.
> 
> Dumped fuel is actually not an environmental disaster. It evaporates quickly.



So evaporate, and those VOC are not an environmental disaster?  Not only is it cost but dumping fuel is bad for the planet. It's also why your Cars fuel system is better sealed for leaks these days and will throw an EVAP warning if the gas cap is missing.


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## MULTIZ321 (Mar 28, 2015)

The Mystery of Flight 9525: A Locked Door, A Silent Pilot, and a Secret History of Illness - by  Jamie Doward, Kim Willsher in Paris and Luke Harding in Montabaur/ World/ The Guardian.com

"When the Germanwings Airbus disappeared, Europe was united in grief. Then, as the troubling facts behind the crash emerged, shock and incredulity took over..."





Wreckage of the Germanwings Airbus A320 at the crash site near Seyne-les-Alpes, France. Photograph: Emmanuel Foudrot/Reuters 


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Mar 29, 2015)

Map: What Happened on the Germanwings Flight - Interactive/ International New York Times/ The New York Times.com

Nice Maps


Germanwings Pilot Andreas Lubitz Sought Treatment for Vision Problems Before Crash, Authorities Say - By Melissa Eddy, Nicholas Kulish and Nicola Clark

Related article with What We Know and What We Don't Know



Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Mar 29, 2015)

Data Recorder is Key to Ending Flight 9525 Speculation - by Keith Walker/ With AFP, RTE, REUTERS/ Euronews.com

"Speculation continues to surround Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot believed to have deliberately crashed Germanwings flight 9525, particularly about his mental health at the time the Airbus A-320 flew into a mountain...

...Meanwhile, Evan Cullen, president of the Irish Airline Pilots Association said he was not happy with media coverage of the crash.

“We still don’t know exactly what happened,” he told broadcaster Marian Finucane during an interview on RTE Radio One. “We have no technical report and we certainly don’t have a report from qualified accident investigators according to the international rules.”

When Finucane said it seemed “a little unfair” that Lubitz had been “found guilty more or less overnight,” Cullen explained: “Where I have the difficulty is that a country such as France, which signed up to the international conventions on accident investigation and doing it properly and scientifically, has allowed a magistrate jump to this conclusion without any technical report, without any sign-off from a technical expert. They have done all of this in the absence of the flight data recorder.”..."

Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Mar 29, 2015)

Germanwings Crash Raises Questions About Shifting Ideas of Pilot Fitness - by Erica Goode and Jad Mouawad/ World/ Europe/ International New York Times/ The New York Times.com

"Aviation agencies in Europe and the United States once banned all pilots from flying if they disclosed a mental illness to their employers.

But in recent years, bowing to advances in scientific understanding and a growing public awareness that common mental disorders like depression are treatable, regulators loosened those restrictions, allowing the use of certain antidepressants for a small number of pilots and permitting some pilots whose illnesses were mild to stay on the job. In doing so, agency officials said, they hoped to encourage pilots who were experiencing problems to come forward and seek treatment.

Now the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 on Tuesday has raised questions about how well those policies work and whether airlines and regulators are doing enough to detect pilots who are too mentally ill to fly..."

Richard


----------



## easyrider (Mar 29, 2015)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...ubitz-girlfriend-was-expecting-his-child.html



> It comes a day after an ex-girlfriend of the Germanwings pilot said he had been planning a spectacular gesture to make everyone "remember" who he was.
> Maria, 26 (not her real name), told Bild newspaper that when she heard about the crash she remembered that he had said he was going do something "that would change the system" and "make everyone remember" him.



For what its worth.

Bill


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## MULTIZ321 (Mar 30, 2015)

Germanwings Crash: Co-Pilot Was Treated for Suicidal Tendencies - Krisnadev Calamur & Bill Chappell/ The Two-Way/ npr.org

"Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot of the Germanwings plane that crashed in the French Alps last week with 150 passengers on board, received treatment for suicidal tendencies for several years before he became a pilot, a German prosecutor says.

Christoph Kumpa, a spokesman for Duesseldorf investigators, says Lubitz "had been in treatment of a psychotherapist because of what is documented as being suicidal at that time."..."







Airplanes' contrails streak the sky close to where a Germanwings plane crashed last week, in Seyne les Alpes, France.
Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images 


Richard


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## Mr. Vker (Mar 30, 2015)

If a pilot has medical conditions involving the heart etc., is that protected information that requires self reporting? I think that type of information, serious mental illness etc. should be reported direct to airlines for evaluation. Self reporting is not reliable.


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## MULTIZ321 (Mar 31, 2015)

French Eye Cockpit Entry, Pyschological Screening Rules - by Geir Moulson and Jamey Keaton/ Yahoo!News/ news.yahoo.com


"French aviation investigators are examining "systemic weaknesses" like cockpit entry rules and psychological screening procedures that could have led to the Germanwings plane crash — issues that could eventually change worldwide aviation practices..."






Gendarme Bruno Hermignies stands by a bulldozer clearing a path to the crash site near Seyne-les-Alpes, France, Monday, March 30, 2015. European investigators are focusing on the psychological state of a 27-year-old German co-pilot who prosecutors say deliberately flew a Germanwings plane carrying 150 people into a mountain, a French police official said Monday. (AP Photo/Claude Paris, Pool)


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Mar 31, 2015)

Germanwings Crash: Lubitz Told Lufthansa of Depression - by Justin Huggler, Berlin/ Worldnews/ Europe/ Germany/ The Telegrapgh/ telegraph.co.uk

"The Alps crash co-pilot told officials at Lufthansa's flight training school that he had suffered from severe depression, the airline says.

 Lufthansa has admitted for the first time that it knew Andreas Lubitz, the German co-pilot who deliberately crashed a passenger jet in the Alps, suffered from serious depression.

The airline had previously confirmed Lubitz had taken an extended break from training, but refused to say why..."





Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings airliner, competing in a Lufthansa marathon in 2013 Photo: Wolfgang Nass/BILD


Richard


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## Passepartout (Mar 31, 2015)

Lufthansa has admitted that they are culpable. They've alerted their insurance carrier to set aside $300 million for damages, not including  the $55,000 per passenger allocated for final expenses.

Jim


----------



## Tia (Apr 1, 2015)

It's unfortunate that the system in place failed and he was allowed to continue to fly when he was not fit.  Imagine the rules will change now, just a little too late.


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Apr 1, 2015)

Video "Shows Cabin Chaos' in Seconds Before Germanwings Crash - by Henry Samuel and Rory Mulholland, Paris/ World News/ Europe/ The Telegraph/ telegraph.co.uk

" A mobile phone clip purportedly filming the final seconds inside the cabin of the doomed Germanwings airliner minutes before it crashed is ’genuine’, two European media insist.

French authorities initially firmly denied the existence of the clip, which allegedly relays in a “few seconds” scenes of chaos and passengers screaming “My God” in several languages. But they are now calling on anyone in possession of such a film to “hand it over to investigators”. 

 French magazine Paris Match and German daily Bild said the authenticity of the video is “unquestionable” and that it had been retrieved from the wreckage of last Tuesday’s crash by “a source close to the inquiry”.

The magazine’s journalists added they had seen the video. “We have checked and rechecked its authenticity,” a Paris Match spokesman told the Telegraph.

The phone had not survived the crash, but the memory card on which it was stored had, the two publications insisted.

“Its provenance leaves no room for doubt,” wrote Paris Match..."





A forensic expert works in a mobile laboratory near the site of the March 24 Germanwings plane crash Photo: Reuters


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Apr 1, 2015)

Germanwings Passengers 'May Have Made Mobile Phone Calls' As Plane Crashed in Alps - by Henry Samuel, Rory Mulholland in Paris and Patrick Sawer/ WorldNews/ The Telegraph/ telegraph.co.uk

"French authorities recover several phones from Alps plane wreck amid row over mobile film of "cabin chaos" in final seconds of Germanwings flight and claims that "other recordings" exist.

 Passengers may have made phone calls from the stricken Germanwings airliner that crashed in the Alps, it was claimed on Wednesday night, as a row erupted over the existence of mobile film footage showing the final seconds of cabin chaos.

French investigators on Wednesday revealed that they had gathered several mobile phones from the debris of the Airbus A320 brought down by co-pilot Andreas Lubitz after he locked himself in the cockpit, but that none had yet been "analysed"..."





Gendarmes and rescuers from the Gendarmerie High-Mountain Rescue Group working at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 (AFP)


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Apr 1, 2015)

Lufthansa Faces Mounting Challenges as More Details of Germanwings Crash Emerge - by Jack Ewing and Nicola Clark/ Europe/ International New York Times/ The New York Times/ nytimes.com

FRANKFURT — Lufthansa was supposed to be celebrating the 60th anniversary of its postwar rebirth this month.

Instead, on Wednesday, the day of that anniversary, the German airline faced perhaps the worst crisis in its history after acknowledging that it had been aware that the co-pilot who deliberately crashed one of its planes in the French Alps last week, killing himself and the other 149 people on board, had a history of severe depression.

In Germany, the home country of nearly half of the victims, anger was increasingly directed toward the airline and its 48-year-old chief executive, Carsten Spohr, who only a week ago was boasting that Lufthansa had the best pilots in the world.

Mr. Spohr and Thomas Winkelmann, the chief executive of Germanwings, the low-cost subsidiary of Lufthansa that operated the plane that crashed, visited the French village of Seyne-les-Alpes, near the crash site, on Wednesday..."





The airline executives Carsten Spohr, left, and Thomas Winkelmann at a plane crash memorial in Seyne-les-Alpes, France. Jean-Pierre Clatot/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Apr 2, 2015)

Germanwings Crash: Second Black Box Found - From the New York Times


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Apr 2, 2015)

MULTIZ321 said:


> Germanwings Crash: Second Black Box Found - From the New York Times
> 
> 
> Richard




I apologize to those who tried to access the link from 'The Guardian' - I tried to do it from my cell phone and it did not work.  I had to change the article to a new article from the New York Times which also has the info about the second black box. 

When I get home from work, I'll try to see if I can post the article from 'The Guardian'


Richard


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## "Roger" (Apr 2, 2015)

MULTIZ321 said:


> I apologize to those who tried to access the link from 'The Guardian' - I tried to do it from my cell phone and it did not work.  I had to change the article to a new article from the New York Times which also has the info about the second black box.
> 
> When I get home from work, I'll try to see if I can post the article from 'The Guardian'
> 
> ...


Your wish is my command, Rich.  This is the article in _The Guardian _that you intended to link to.


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## MULTIZ321 (Apr 2, 2015)

"Roger" said:


> Your wish is my command, Rich.  This is the article in _The Guardian _that you intended to link to.





Thanks Roger.  Appreciate your thoughtfulness.


Best regards,

Richard


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## MULTIZ321 (Apr 3, 2015)

Germanwings Crash Co-Pilot Accelerated Jet's Descent: Investigators - From NBC News/ nbcnews.com

"PARIS — The co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings jet repeatedly accelerated the plane, using the automatic pilot to descend the Airbus A320 into the Alps, France's air accident investigation agency said Friday.

The BEA said investigators had begun studying the black box data recorder from the plane, found at the crash site Thursday. An initial reading of the recorder indicates that First Officer Andreas Lubitz used the automatic pilot to put the plane into a descent and then repeatedly used it to increase the aircraft's speed..."

Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Apr 4, 2015)

Germanwings 'Black Box' Shows Co-Pilot Andreas Lubitz Sped Up Descent -  by Laura Smith-Spark and Margot Haddad, CNN/ Europe/ cnn.com

"Marseille, France (CNN)Initial tests on the flight data recorder recovered from downed Germanwings Flight 9525 show that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz purposely used the controls to speed up the plane's descent, according to the French air accident investigation agency, the BEA.

The flight data recorder, or "black box," was found Thursday by recovery teams that have spent days since the March 24 crash scouring the mountainside in the French Alps where the plane went down...

...A female police officer digging by hand for clothes in a ravine that been searched previously found the flight data recorder Thursday afternoon about 8 inches (20 centimeters) below the surface, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin told reporters.

Usually white with florescent orange, this discovered recorder lived up to its name as a black box because fire had darkened it with ashes.

In addition, out of more than 2,000 DNA samples collected from the crash site, lab workers have isolated 150 DNA profiles, Robin told reporters..."

Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Apr 4, 2015)

What Video of the Germanwings Crash Could Reveal - by Adam Chandler/ Global/ TheAtlantic.com

"Over a week after the Germanwings crash, new threads continue to fuel the saga, further muddying an already untidy story. On Tuesday, Lufthansa disclosed that the airline had known of pilot Andreas Lubitz's struggles with depression. Details about the audio contents of the plane's blackbox have slowly leaked out over the past several days, and on Wednesday, reports emerged that the harrowing final seconds before the crash may have been captured on video.

Is the Video Authentic?..."





Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters/The Atlantic


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Apr 4, 2015)

'Black Box' Shows Co-Pilot Sped Up German Plane On Descent - by Jamey Keaten/ Associated Press/ 


...Alice Coldefy, the mountain rescue officer who found the data recorder, described her unexpected discovery in a spot that had already been repeatedly searched.

"I found a pile of clothes, we were searching it, we were moving them downhill and while doing this I discovered a box. The color of the box was the same as the gravel, of the black gravel, that is everywhere at the crash site," she told reporters in Seyne-les-Alpes.

So-called black boxes are actually orange, but this one had burned up in the crash and blended with the dark earth covering the area, known to local guides as "the black lands."

"I didn't realize I had found it and I wasn't thinking it was possible to find it among all this debris," she said."

Amazing how the second black box was found.







Richard

___


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## MULTIZ321 (Apr 4, 2015)

Crash Piles Pressure on Lufthansa's CEO Spohr - by David McHugh/ The Associated Press

"FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 in France has heaped intense pressure on Lufthansa's CEO Carsten Spohr, who in less than a year at the helm has had to grapple with big financial losses, labor unrest and tough competition from lower-cost carriers.

Analysts say he has made the correct moves, notably in his swift expressions of sympathy for the 149 victims and the relatives of those who died last week. French officials say co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the pilot out of the cockpit and deliberately flew the Airbus A320 into a mountainside in the French Alps.

They point to Lufthansa's admission that Lubitz had told them during his training that he had been treated for serious depression as an example of owning up quickly to bad news.

"They are taking it absolutely seriously, they are not being anything other than completely cooperative with the authorities and that's a good start," said Andrew Charlton, managing director of strategic consulting and government affairs firm Aviation Advocacy in Nyon, Switzerland..."







Richard


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## MULTIZ321 (Apr 5, 2015)

Crash Pilot's Profile Prompts Questions, Deep Unease - by Frank Jordans/ From the Associated Press

"BERLIN (AP) — The profile that has emerged of Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz has become more troubling by the day.

In the hours after Flight 9525 crashed in the French Alps two weeks ago, Lubitz was regarded as one of 150 victims in an unexplained disaster. Two days later he was the prime suspect of an unfathomable act.

By now, French and German prosecutors have little doubt that the 27-year-old intentionally slammed the Airbus A320 into a mountain, killing everyone on board, and there is growing evidence that his actions weren't just the result of a split-second decision but of days of planning.

The revelations have raised questions about who knew what, when, and whether he could have been stopped, and have prompted particular soul-searching in Germany. Seventy-two of those killed onboard the flight — traveling from Barcelona to Duesseldorf — were German citizens.

Investigators have pieced together the picture of Lubitz by analyzing the voice and flight data recorders found at the crash site, searching his homes in Duesseldorf and Montabaur, and by interviewing friends, relatives, colleagues and doctors..."


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Apr 5, 2015)

France Halts Search for Germanwings Crash Site - From Reuters/ mobile.reuters.com

"MARSEILLE (Reuters) - French investigators have ended their search for bodies in the Alps where a Germanwings passenger jet crashed last month, killing all 150 people on board, a local official said on Saturday.

Prosecutors believe German co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately flew the Airbus A320 jet into the mountainside during a flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, pulverizing the aircraft and making recovery efforts extremely complicated.

"The search for bodies is over, but the search for the victims' personal belongings is continuing," a spokesman for the local government authority in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region told Reuters.

"Lufthansa has also hired a specialist firm to remove the debris of the aircraft, under the authority of the French public prosecutor and an expert in charge of environmental supervision of the operations," he said..."


Richard


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## MULTIZ321 (Apr 7, 2015)

Germanwings: First Photo of Capt Patrick Sondheimer - Beside Andreas Lubitz's Framed Photo at Cologne Memorial - by Harriet Alexander/ World/ The Telegraph/ telegraph.co.uk

"The first photograph of Patrick Sondheimer, captain of the doomed Germanwings plane, has been put on display in Germany ...

...The display, in memory of the staff who died, was created before it was revealed that Lubitz had intentionally crashed the plane in the French Alps on March 24. "


Richard


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## Tia (Apr 7, 2015)

In light of what they now believe happened I wish they'd start blacking out the copilots face and leave his name off things too......... sad


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Apr 19, 2015)

Germanwings Crash Prompts Debate About Remote-Controlled Planes - by Andy Eckardt and Carlo Angerer/ nbcnews.com

"LANGEN, Germany — Technology that would allow planes to be controlled remotely in situations similar to the Germanwings tragedy is being eyed by German authorities.

Investigators believe co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked his captain out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed the Germanwings plane into a French mountainside on March 24, killing 150 people.

Flight 4U9525's descent took eight minutes, but authorities were powerless to intervene.

"French air traffic controllers were monitoring how the co-pilot put commands for zero altitude into the computer system, but could not do anything," Axel Raab from German Air Traffic Control (DFS) told NBC News. 
German officials have now started examining whether new research should be launched into systems that would allow the plane to be flown from the ground.

"We have to think past today's technology," DFS head Klaus Dieter Scheurle said at a press conference earlier this week..."


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (May 6, 2015)

Report: Germanwings Crash Co-Pilot Tried Descent Previously - From Associated Press/ Yahoo! News/ news.yahoo.com

PARIS (AP) — "The co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525 appeared to have practiced a controlled descent on his flight into Barcelona just two hours before he intentionally crashed the A320 jet into a mountainside on the return flight to Duesseldorf, air accident investigators said Wednesday.

Authorities are still puzzling over why co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who had suffered from suicidal tendencies and depression in the past, sent the Barcelona-to-Duesseldorf flight straight into the French Alps on March 24, killing all 150 people on board..."


Richard


----------



## x3 skier (May 6, 2015)

MULTIZ321 said:


> Germanwings Crash Prompts Debate About Remote-Controlled Planes - by Andy Eckardt and Carlo Angerer/ nbcnews.com
> 
> "LANGEN, Germany —
> German officials have now started examining whether new research should be launched into systems that would allow the plane to be flown from the ground.
> ...



And then, a nutter controller or a hacker on the ground or in the air will command the aircraft to dive into the ground and then the PILOTS will be unable to do anything. Open mouth, insert foot.

What a stupid idea. There are risks in life and clearly zero risk is impossible. S*** happens sometimes. It happened to me when my engine failed completely as I was flying a single engine airplane.

Cheers


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Jun 11, 2015)

Germanwings Victims Return Home - From Associated Press (AP)/ World News/ The Telegraph/ telegraph.co.uk

" Hundreds of people lined the streets to pay solemn respect to 16 high school students and two teachers killed in the Germanwings plane crash, as a convoy of hearses brought their remains home for burial Wednesday.

Authorities blame the co-pilot of Flight 9525 for deliberately slamming the plane into the French Alps on March 24, killing all 150 people onboard.

Lufthansa had flown the remains of the first 44 victims to Duesseldorf late on Tuesday. Parents and relatives of the students viewed the coffins inside an airport hangar before bringing their loved ones home to Haltern, 46 miles to the northeast.

The slow-moving convoy of hearses - white ones for the students, black ones for the teachers - was accompanied by a police motorcade and a bus carrying further relatives..."






Students from the Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium high school watch as hearses carrying the remains of 16 of their fellow students and two teachers who were killed in the Germanwings plane crash in March drive slowly past. Photo: Getty Images

My heart goes out to all the families who lost loved ones in this tragedy.


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Jun 13, 2015)

Germanwings Co-Pilot Feared Going Blind, May Have Been Unfit to Fly, Prosecutor Says - by Jim Dalrymple II/ Buzfeed News Reporter/ World/ buzzfeed.com

"Andreas Lubitz repeatedly met with doctors in the months before crashing his plane. However, German privacy laws prevented them from sharing their concerns with anyone..."

Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Jun 13, 2015)

France Opens Criminal Inquiry Into Germanwings Crash - Source Al Jazazeera and Reuters/ aljazeera.com

"French prosecutors have formally opened a criminal inquiry into Germanwings plane crash to investigate whether mistakes were made in monitoring the psychological health of the co-pilot.

Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin told a news conference in Paris on Thursday that the investigation will be led by a panel of three judges tasked to determine if manslaughter charges should be brought over the March 26 crash.

A preliminary report into the crash of the A320 in the French Alps that killed 150 people found co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit and deliberately steered the plane into a mountain.

"The head of the Marseille court will appoint very soon, next week or the following week, three investigating judges from Marseille's collective accident centre after the opening of an inquiry against unknown parties for involuntary homicides," Robin said.

In a new development, Robin said information from Lubitz's tablet PC showed he had also investigated vision problems, and "feared going blind", which would have ended the 27-year-old's aviation career..."





French prosecutor said information from Lubitz's tablet PC showed he had also investigated vision problems [Reuters]


Richard


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## MULTIZ321 (Jun 15, 2015)

Remains of Spaniards Killed in Germanwings Crash Come Home - by Alan Glendenning and Hernan Munoz/ Associated Press/ apnewsarchive.com

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — "The remains of 32 Spaniards killed in the Germanwings jet crash were flown from France to Barcelona on Monday, 12 weeks after the plane's co-pilot slammed the plane into the French Alps.

Lufthansa, which owns Germanwings, set up a large room in an airport building where relatives received the remains of their loved ones in a "dignified setting," said airline spokesman Martin Riecken. Psychologists were at the site for grieving relatives who needed them.

Families were sending hearses to pick up the remains so they can be transported to home towns for funeral services, Riecken said..."


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Jul 4, 2015)

Germanwings Victims' Families 'Appalled' by Compensation Offer - by Carlo Angerer/ German Plane Crash/ Storyline/ nbcnews.com

MAINZ, Germany — "The families of passengers killed when a jet was deliberately crashed in the French Alps are "appalled" by a compensation offer made by Germanwings and parent company Lufthansa, according to their lawyers.

"The reactions ranged from blank horror and rage to despair and bitterness," Elmar Giemulla, a lawyer representing families of 35 victims, told NBC News.

Lufthansa this week made an offer of 25,000 euros ($27,700) per victim and an additional 10,000 euros ($11,110) payment to each close relative as compensation for immaterial damage. This would come in addition to the 50,000 euros ($55,540) per victim that Lufthansa had paid out as an immediate support in the days after the crash. Potential compensation for material damages has yet to be determined..."

Richard


----------



## Tia (Jul 6, 2015)

MULTIZ321 said:


> Germanwings Co-Pilot Feared Going Blind, May Have Been Unfit to Fly, Prosecutor Says - by Jim Dalrymple II/ Buzfeed News Reporter/ World/ buzzfeed.com
> 
> "Andreas Lubitz repeatedly met with doctors in the months before crashing his plane. However, German privacy laws prevented them from sharing their concerns with anyone..."
> 
> Richard




Sad they were prevented from possibly stopping the tragedy


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 10, 2015)

For Families of Germanwings Victims, Anger Burns Through Grief - by Melissa Eddy/ World/ Europe/ International New York Times/ The New York Times/ nytimes.com

HALTERN AM SEE, Germany — "Weeks before he was supposed to fly to Barcelona, Spain, for a student exchange program with his 10th-grade Spanish class, Steffen Strang realized that he would miss a home game of the soccer team he followed religiously. Maybe, he told his mother, he should stay home.

The response Dagmar Strang gave to her 16-year-old son has echoed in her head since March 24, the day he was supposed to have returned on a Germanwings flight bound for Düsseldorf.

“I told him he wasn’t going to stay home because of a stupid game — I called it that, ‘stupid,’ ” she said, sitting in her dining room beside a display of framed pictures of Steffen, her only child, as a baby asleep in his stroller, as a young boy perched on her lap and as a teenager standing between his mother and father, Jürgen Strang, on a cruise ship heading to Norway.

“I told him this could be a chance to make a lifelong friend, to go out and experience the world,” Mrs. Strang said, shaking her head, struggling against the thought of “What if?”

Steffen’s final text message to her, after boarding the flight: “We are sitting on the plane. I can’t wait to see you.” ..."





 Steffen Strang, a 16-year-old student at Joseph-König Gymnasium in Haltern am See, had traveled to Barcelona with his Spanish class. Credit Laetitia Vancon for The New York Times 


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Mar 12, 2016)

Investigators Brief Germanwings Relatives on Crash Findings - From Associated Press (AP)/ apnewsarchive.com

"BONN, Germany (AP) — French air accident investigators are briefing relatives of the people killed in last year's Germanwings crash on the results of their investigation.

Saturday's closed-doors briefings in Bonn and Barcelona come ahead of the release Sunday of French accident investigation agency BEA's final report.

Investigators have established that the co-pilot of Flight 9525 from Barcelona to Duesseldorf, Andreas Lubitz, deliberately crashed the plane into a French mountainside last March 24, killing 150 people. Lubitz had previously been treated for depression..."





FILE - In this July 24, 2015 file picture a stele, a stone slab erected as a monument, set up in the area near where a Germanwings aircraft crashed in the French Alps, in Le Vernet, French Alps. France's air accident investigation agency releases report into the March 2015 crash of the Germanwings jet on March 13, 2016 . (AP Photo/Claude Paris,file)


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Mar 13, 2016)

Doctor Urged Psychiatric Care For Germanwings Pilot - From Al Jazeera and Reuters/ Europe/ News/ aljazeera.com

"French report says doctor wanted co-pilot Andreas Lubitz to be hospitalised two weeks before crash which killed 150.

A private doctor recommended that the German pilot who crashed a Germanwings jet into the Alps last year should be treated in a psychiatric hospital two weeks before the disaster, French investigators have said.

Prosecutors believe co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who had a history of severe depression, barricaded himself into the cockpit and deliberately propelled his Airbus jet into a mountainside on March 24, killing all 150 people on board.

France's BEA air accident investigation office said in its final report on Sunday that Lubitz had begun to show symptoms that could be consistent with a psychotic depressive episode in December 2014 and consulted several doctors over the following months, none of whom alerted aviation authorities or his employer..."


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Mar 13, 2016)

Germanwings Crash: New Rules Needed for Pilot Health Issues - By ANGELA CHARLTON and GEIR MOULSON , Associated Press/ AP/ apnewsarchive.com

"LE BOURGET, France (AP) — Aviation agencies around the world should draw up new rules requiring medical workers to warn authorities when a pilot's mental health could threaten public safety, French investigators recommended Sunday after a yearlong probe into the Germanwings plane crash.

The French investigation found that Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who had been treated for depression in the past, had consulted with dozens of doctors in the weeks before he deliberately crashed a jet into the French Alps on March 24, 2015, killing all 150 people on board.

But none of the doctors told authorities of any concerns about Lubitz's mental health, France's BEA air accident investigation agency said, including one who referred Lubitz to a psychiatric clinic just two weeks before the crash.

"Experts found that the symptoms (two weeks before the crash) could be compatible with a psychotic episode," said Arnaud Desjardin, leader of the BEA investigation. This information "was not delivered to Germanwings."

Because Lubitz didn't inform anyone of his doctors' warnings, the BEA said in a statement, "no action could have been taken by the authorities or his employer to prevent him from flying."

The agency also said Lubitz was using antidepressants at the time of the crash. It said traces of anti-depressive medications Citalopram and Mirtazapine were found in Lubitz's remains, as well as the sleeping medication Zopiclone.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine notes on its entry for Citalopram that children and young adults who take the drug can become suicidal "especially at the beginning of your treatment and any time that your dose is increased or decreased."

Lubitz was 27 when he crashed the plane..."





In this March 24, 2015 file picture students stand near candles in front of the Joseph-Koenig Gymnasium in Haltern, western Germany. .Students of this school were among the victims of of the Germanwings plane that crashed in the French Alps killing all 150 people on board. France's air accident investigation agency releases report into the March 2015 crash of the Germanwings jet on March 13, 2016 . (AP Photo/Martin Meissner,file)


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Mar 24, 2016)

Victim Families Mark 1 Year Since Doomed Germanwings Flight - by Alex Turnbull, Associated Press/ AP/ apnewsarchive.com

"LE VERNET, France (AP) — In a solemn day of remembrance, grieving families gathered on Thursday in a French Alpine village to pay homage to loved ones a year after the co-pilot of a Germanwings plane flew the passenger jet into a mountainside, killing all 150 people aboard.

Some 800 people were expected at the commemoration that started with a private ceremony and a minute of silence. Families had the option to visit the crash site on the mountain overlooking Le Vernet. A wreath-laying was to be the only public moment as families of victims — mostly German and Spanish — mark the grim day..."





View of the Germanwings plane crash site near Seyne-les-Alpes, Wednesday, March 23, 2016. The families of the 150 passengers and crew killed in the March 24, 2015, crash are to attend on Thursday March 24, a ceremony marking one year after the plane crash, in Le Vernet, French Alps. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)


Richard


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## MULTIZ321 (Apr 13, 2016)

Germanwings Crash Victim Families Sue U.S. Lufthansa Unit - From Reuters/ News/ Yahoo!News/ yahoo.com

"(Reuters) - Families of those killed on a Germanwings flight last year have sued a training unit of the airline's parent, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, in U.S. district court in Arizona for wrongful death, their law firm said on Wednesday.

Kreindler & Kreindler LLP said it had filed a lawsuit on behalf of 80 families against Airline Training Center Arizona Inc, which instructed the Germanwings pilot who barricaded himself in the cockpit and flew his jet into the French Alps on March 24, 2015, killing 150 passengers and crew.

The families charged that the training unit was negligent in failing to discover pilot Andreas Lubitz's medical history before admitting him to the program in 2010.

"The company missed several readily apparent red flags, including that Lubitz's German medical certificate had a restricting legend on its face specifically because of that mental illness history, which included severe depression and suicidal ideations," Brian Alexander, a partner at Kreindler, which specializes in aviation accidents, said in a press statement.

The 144 passengers on the plane came from 18 countries, Germanwings has said. The majority were from Germany and Spain, while three were from the United States.

None of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit are related to the U.S. victims, Kreindler partner Marc Moller said in an interview. However, he said they had standing because the training unit was the gateway that taught Lubitz how to fly planes...."





Relatives and family walk at the crash zone in Le Vernet, France, March 24, 2016 during the first anniversary ceremony to commemorate the 150 victims of the Germanwings Airbus A320 that crashed in a remote area of the French Alps near Seyne-les-Alpes. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier


Richard


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## x3 skier (Apr 14, 2016)

MULTIZ321 said:


> Germanwings Crash Victim Families Sue U.S. Lufthansa Unit - From Reuters/ News/ Yahoo!News/ yahoo.com
> 
> "(Reuters) - Families of those killed on a Germanwings flight last year have sued a training unit of the airline's parent, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, in U.S. district court in Arizona for wrongful death, their law firm said on Wednesday.
> 
> ...



Ambulance chasing at its worst. 

Cheers


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## MULTIZ321 (Aug 30, 2016)

Suicidal Germanwings Pilot Had Stuggled in US Flight School - by Joan Lowy, Associated Press/ AP/ apnewsarchive.com

"WASHINGTON (AP) — The German pilot who deliberately flew his airliner into a mountainside last year had struggled with learning to fly and had failed a key test of his skills during training in the U.S., according to FBI interviews with his flight instructors.

Andreas Lubitz was promoted anyway. But his training difficulties were one more "red flag" that should have caused Lufthansa and the airline's Arizona flight school to take a closer look and discover his history of depression, asserted attorneys representing families of crash victims.

Lubitz was a co-pilot for Germanwings, a regional airline owned by Lufthansa, when he locked Flight 9524's captain out of the cockpit and set the plane on a collision course with a mountain in the French Alps last year. All 144 passengers and six crew members, including Lubitz, were killed.

One instructor, Juergen Theerkorn, described Lubitz as "not an ace pilot," and said he failed one flight test because of a "situational awareness issue." In aviation, loss of situational awareness usually means a pilot becomes absorbed in something and loses track of what else is happening with the plane..."





This is an undated image taken from Facebook of Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz in San Francisco. Summaries of FBI interviews with flight instructors show that Lubitz, the pilot who deliberately flew his airliner into a mountainside last year had struggled with learning to fly and had failed a key test of his flying skills during his U.S. training, but was promoted anyway. (AP Photo)


Richard


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