Posted on 03/26/2015 8:26:47 AM PDT by RummyChick
The co-pilot of the Germanwings passenger jet which crashed into the Alps at 400-miles-per-hour on Tuesday had to stop his pilot training in 2008 because he was depressed and suffering 'burnout'.
Andreas Guenter Lubitz paused his training with German flag-carrier Lufthansa because he was under so much pressure.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Strange how an incredible event such as this has happened right as the Obama administration is putting the final touches on a deal allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
It just might be. HAL took over. No Dave you can’t open the door...
The door is locked by a toggle switch the pilot controls.
This is what the FAA requires now (as of 2013) for First Officers. I would guess the same is true of any ICAO country which Germany must be a part...This guy was a low time pilot but I have no idea how much of that was multi engine time etc. Maybe that will come out if it hasn’t already. Even the previous 250 hours required for FO candidates in the US was a minimum and most would have had many more than the minimum.
“”The amount and type of flying experience first officers — also known as co-pilots — must have to qualify to fly for an airline will be significantly increased and expanded under new regulations announced Wednesday by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The regulations require first officers to have at least 1,500 hours of flying experience. Airline captains are already required to have at least 1,500 hours. Previously, first officers were only required to have 250 hours of flight time.
The rule also requires first officers to have an aircraft-type rating, which involves additional training and testing specific to the type of airplane they fly.
“The rule gives first officers a stronger foundation of aeronautical knowledge and experience before they fly for an air carrier,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said.
The FAA said it expects to publish the regulations soon.””
He was into physical exercise and was seen with “bags of health supplements”. Steroids?
Different rules in Europe than here. This guy had 153 hours over his 500 required hours to obtain an ATP rating (FAA requirements).
“”Go read the information from the Prosecutor. He gets into specifics.””
I don’t see any specifics except what he reported from the cockpit recorder. The FO alone in the cockpit, the captain outside banging on the door, ATC trying to contact the plane...what “pilot things” are you talking about?
Is barky depressed? Cuz he’s flying a whole country into the side of a mountain.
“”Different rules in Europe than here.””
I suspected that could be true and couldn’t come up with anything specifically.... I’m surprised they aren’t the same just as English is a requirement for foreign pilots. Makes for a lot of fun with the tower.....
Just as an aside - here in the US a pilot doesn’t need an endorsement on their ticket to fly ‘over the top’ meaning flying over the cloud cover where in Canada you do.
“”Just as an aside - here in the US a pilot doesn’t need an endorsement on their ticket to fly ‘over the top’ meaning flying over the cloud cover where in Canada you do.””
Really? That’s interesting. My husband flew for 40 years and we had a flight operation at JWA in OC, CA for 25 years and I also worked for an FE training center on the airport. I remember years ago we were returning from Northern CA to Southern CA and coming over the Tehachapi Mountains the wings iced up pretty bad. ATC was telling us to CLIMB and my husband was trying to make them understand the wings were iced over and he COULDN’T CLIMB.. We skirted cloud buildups and the ice didn’t leave the wings until we were opposite Torrance Airport south of LAX. First time in all those years of flying with him that I actually smelled “sweat”....Bumpy with charts flying all over the cockpit. Glad to touch down at home!
Maybe his manner changed when the captain addressed landing issues because that was of no interest to him, as he know they wouldn’t be landing
I’m sure he could have opened the door, or spoke on the phone.
Sounds like an experience that could be sent to AOPA ... they use stories like that to inform. Thanks for sharing that.
Beware of a silent dog and still water.
Though I thought of one thing this morning. What if he was hypnotized and coded? It is known that hypnosis cannot be used to force people to kill themselves, but it is possible to force them to do something that they think is harmless. For example: "Once the trigger event happens, you lock the door and set the autopilot on descent. Do not touch controls further. Close your eyes and relax."
This theory may have value because even a suicidal person is probably not too happy to set the course for his destruction and then wait for ten minutes. It wouldn't be pleasant. He could simply turn the engines off, for example, or to set the airplane to dive; probably it would have fallen apart from excessive airspeed even before hitting the ground - and the destruction would be just as quick.
This theory of hypnosis may also do something with the lost Indonesian airliner. Behavior of the pilot(s) there is equally strange. Were these incidents a trial run?
One thing that seems weird to me, is that the co-pilot must not have exhibited ANY unusual signs/symptoms prior to boarding the plane..
it is my understanding that if the pilot observes anything unusual he has the authority to ground the plane, at least until a replacement copilot becomes available..
Also, assuming the copilot seemed ok on boarding, but began exhibiting odd behavior during the flight, would a pilot leave the cockpit, for ANY reason?
And if the report is true that there was no change in respiration rate of the copilot until the collision with the ground, that is extremely bizarre. I would think there would be an increase in respiration as soon as he locked the pilot out of the cockpit, and then made the final decision to crash the plane.
I am also wondering about a hypnosis angle, or some sort of drug, perhaps even administered without knowledge of the copilot. I know I’m getting into very bizarre speculation here, and I am neither a pilot nor anyone who has any experience with weird drugs, but based on what I have seen so far, this just gets weirder and weirder...
The normal breathing and seemingly calm behavior are unusual in the extreme. It’s just baffling to me. I can’t seem to get past that part. Hypnosis seems ...too out there and yet I guess it’s possible.
If the door had electonically malfunctioned he could have gotten out of his seat to open it manually. The door lock mechanism can easily be depowered, with a guarded switch, from inside the cockpit.
Do the research or don’t. There are specific items that indicate what happened that are pilot related that means he couldn’t have just had a heart attack and unable to respond.
There is even a pilot on this site that indicated what likely happened and he did it before the Prosecutor held the press conference.
Now more information is coming out.
Look for the new altitude story.
“He was a fitness fanatic who jogged most mornings and evenings and you could often find him returning home from sports shops carrying health supplement bags.”
His seated pic indicates a short/petite guy who may have lacked dating success. Maybe he thought being a pilot would change that and lift his depression, but a year and a half after getting his commercial license things weren’t better. The “health supplements” may have been sexual performance enhancers or “growth” hormones.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.