Germanwings Crash: Did Co-Pilot Andreas Lubitz Deliberately Cause Deadly Accident?

A Co-Pilot may have intentionally crashed Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 into the French Alps, say prosecutors in Marseille who have jurisdiction over the criminal case. The prosecutor, Brice Robin, drew audio evidence captured in the airplane’s “black box.”

"The co-pilot is alone at the controls," the prosecutor said. "He voluntarily refused to open the door of the cockpit to the pilot and voluntarily began the descent of the plane."

While media don’t have access to the full recording, French government sources have described it, quoted anonymously by the New York Times. Officials have previously said that terrorism was unlikely, and no credible groups have taken responsibility for the crash.

“The guy outside is knocking lightly on the door, and there is no answer,” said a French investigator who heard the recordings, but would not share his name in an ongoing investigation. “And then he hits the door stronger, and no answer. There is never an answer.”

Who is the co-pilot? Officials hadn’t named the crewmembers on the Germanwings flight, but the the co-pilot’s name “leaked” when a flying club released his name, according to the Wall Street Journal. He was First Officer Andreas Lubitz, 28, of Montabaur, and member of the LSC flying club. He joined Germanwings in 2013 after graduating from the Lufthansa Flight Training School, according to the Telegraph.

If the prosecutors are right, Lubitz he intentionally crashed the aircraft, locking himself in the cabin and plunging 38,000 feet down into the French Alps.

“[...What is sure is that at the very end of the flight, the other pilot is alone and does not open the door,” said the anonymous French official quoted by the NYT.