Pilot Was Locked Out When German Plane Crashed

It now appears that this was not a tragic accident, but that the co-pilot deliberately crashed the plane. There was only one pilot and a co-pilot on board. The pilot left the cockpit, presumably for a toilet break, and then found he could not get back in. The flight recorder shows that the co-pilot was still breathing while the pilot was trying to get back into the locked cockpit. He was also taking the plane down lower, so he must have been fully conscious.

The co-pilot was a 28 years old German with no known association with terrorists or any evident mental health issues. I'm sure we will be hearing a lot more about him as investigations continue.

 

It's scary to think that we live in a world where people hate others so strongly, they are willing to kill themselves in order to do harm. I grew up, like most of you, during the Cold War. I remember the fear we had of what Russia would do - we had air raid drills in school and talked about what to do in case of nuclear attacks. But there was always the "safety valve" of mutual destruction - Russia and the US both knew that if one of them used nuclear weapons, they would be on the receiving end of the same. Neither country was willing to risk being harmed by starting a war.

But terrorists today don't care - it doesn't matter to them if we annihilate them as long as they take us out with them. How do you reason with that type of mentality?

 

In this case it was not the action of a terrorist, but it has now emerged that the co-pilot had a history of depression and was broken-hearted over the end of a relationship.

This could not have been planned in advance. The co-pilot would not have known in advance that the pilot would leave the cockpit during the flight.

It was mass murder and I'm not excusing what he did, but I think when he found himself alone he acted on impulse to put an end of his own life. He would not have been thinking of the passengers, he would be feeling all alone in the world..

It's the fault of the airline that a co-pilot was allowed to be in sole charge of the plane with no-one else present, and they should not have employed someone with a history of depression to fly planes.

Most airlines are now bringing in a regulation that there must be 2 people in the cockpit at all times during a flight and there will be pressure on them now to do more psychological testing of pilots. At present these tests take place every six months.

 

I was glad to see that it wasn't terrorism as we were first led to believe. But as someone with a history of mental illness - I'm really concerned that people will use this as an excuse to discriminate against the mentally ill.

I'm bipolar and have been since my teens. Back then it was something to be ashamed of, something to keep secret. If you did see a therapist, you never told anyone about it - you made up so lie about where you went once a week. And because it was such a shameful illness, most people never sought help.

If companies start asking about mental health, and can use that to fire you, people will stop getting the help they need. As far as giving psychological tests, anybody with a little intelligence and a willingness to lie, can pass those tests easily.

Maybe if we were more open and accepting of mental health issues, and he wasn't afraid of losing his job and career, this guy would have sought the help he needed and this tragedy could have been avoided.

 

There are other pilots who have suffered from depression but after taking medication they have returned to work and are no longer considered to be a risk. Obviously if it's an ongoing mental health condition or is likely to return, then an airline cannot take the chance.

It does now look as if this co-pilot was hiding an illness from his employers, but it was a health condition affecting his eyesight and not related directly to his mental health.

I do agree that people should not be afraid to admit to having mental health issues. I have them myself and I do know how it feels to be suicidal. I also know it's very hard for anyone who has not felt suicidal to understand what goes through the mind at such a time, so it's not something that gets discussed.

 

It seems that Andeas set the auto pilot to descend to 100 feet.

 

It was a sad event for sure and unfortunately, no matter what the reason, it will occur from time to time. With all of the technology we now have I wonder why, in certain cases, there is not a "remote control" device that would be activated during certain critical situations when it is deemed that there is a personnel problem in the cockpit and a crew on the ground could take over.

 

This is so true. When there a drones that can fly over a war zone or such from the U.S. to other countries remotely.

 

I disagree,I think there would be more accidents flying passenger planes by remote control.

 

I guess another way to look at this is if a person would safer knowing that if something did go amiss an airplane the remote access would be in place hopefully for a safer landing?

 

I am not talking about normal flying conditions, Joe, but if you are on a plane that is going down because of similar conditions you would not want a remote team on the ground to take you to safety?

 

I'm sorry, but I can't let this go. Please don't think that I'm picking on you, Yvonne, but I see this impression of mental illness all the time and I have to respond. SSRIs are not "mind-altering" drugs, they are anti-depressants. One of the very remote side effects of SSRIs is suicidal thoughts, but these occur only in the first few weeks of taking the drugs, and mostly only in children. The report I read (which may or may not be correct) said that the pilot had been prescribed the drugs in 2009.

I have a huge problem with taking away my medical privacy. Let me paint a picture for you. Suppose your husband of 30 years dies suddenly. Like any "sane" person, you are grieving and depressed. You go to the doctor and tell him how hard it is, how much pain you're in and that life just doesn't seem worth living without your beloved, best friend. He, correctly, prescribes an anti-depressant (in this case, most likely an SSRI, as they are the first drugs doctors try and are the most effective, with the least side effects). You take the drugs for 6 months, your depression gets much better, your grieving is lessening and you start to feel much better, so you stop taking the drugs.

Here's the rub - you are now, and forever, labelled - MENTALLY ILL WITH SUICIDAL IDEATIONS. Your doctor, because the law now says he has to report you, calls your employer. Your employer, afraid that you'll go postal and kill your co-workers, fires you. Because it's on your permanent record, "Mentally ill with suicidal ideations", you will never get another job. After all, you've been on mind-altering drugs, you've said that life isn't worth living and lord knows, you crazy people love to take others with you when you commit suicide. And because there's no privacy anymore, the nurse tells her friends who just happen to know you and your family and neighbors, so now everyone knows you're that crazy, suicidal woman.

Is that the world you want to live in? Are you willing to give up your privacy on the very remote chance that someone might someday kill someone?

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the rate of antidepressant use in this country has increased 400% between 1994 and 2008. It also states that 23% of women in their 40s and 50s take antidepressants and overall, 1 in 10 people in the US are on antidepressants. Should all of those people potentially lose their jobs and careers? Should they all be labeled "mentally ill" and have to carry the burden that comes with that diagnosis?

Reporting mental illness will literally take us back 100 years, when women were committed to asylums because they were going through menopause - men were hospitalized because they masturbated, children were institutionalized because they were autistic.