In the latest "revelation" after the tragic fact, moments ago the WSJ reported [3]that Andreas Lubitz, the Germanwings co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing an airliner into the French Alps last week, searched the internet on ways to commit suicide and on cockpit doors’ security measures, the German prosecutor in charge of the case said Thursday.
[4]
Not surprisingly these findings "back what French prosecutors have said was co-pilot Andreas Lubitz’ apparently deliberate decision on March 24 to lock Flight 9525’s more experienced pilot out of the cockpit and fly the airliner into an Alpine ridge at 400 miles an hour."
It is "not surprising" because by now it is quite clear that in their attempt to wash their hands of all responsibility, not to mention monetary and punitive liabilities, Germanwings and Lufhtansa management are doing all they can to paint Lubitz as a depressed loose cannon hell bent on committing suicide and taking out hundreds of people with him. What is not exactly clear is why Lufthansa had no protocols to screen for just this kind of behavior, which for a pilot entrusted with countless lives, should be the primary prerogative of any airline.
More from WSJ [3]:
Investigations in the co-pilot’s personal belongings found a tablet with the browser showing that the user had searched for medical treatments and ways to commit suicide between March 16 and March 23, a week before the plane crashed, killing 150 people.
Mr. Lubitz also searched for cockpit doors and their security measures, the Düsseldorf-based German prosecutors said.
The prosecutors said Monday that Mr. Lubitz had undergone psychotherapy years ago because of suicidal tendencies, a situation experts say is hard for airlines to detect.
It is unknown if he was searching on Google, Bing or Yahoo, or just what contextual ads he was seeing, because one would think that "crashing into a mountain" should hardly rank at the top of any search quietly seeking answers on the "best ways to commit suicide" for a majority of the population.
That said, one would think that with ever more of the entire US airforce now on remote control, there should be a way to override pilot control remotely for commercial airliners as well, especially if their pilots are unresponsive, have locked themselves out and are intent on taking as many innocent people with them.
