FAA Initially Declined Germanwings Co-pilot Certificate Citing Depression
WASHINGTON, April 30 (UPI) — The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily declined to give Germanwings A320 co-pilot Andreas Lubitz a medical certificate years before he apparently crashed the airliner.
The aviation agency raised questions about Lubitz’s mental state in 2010. The FAA denied the application for a medical certificate, citing a “history of reactive depression.”
About three weeks after initially declining Lubitz a certificate, a physician working with Lubitz told the FAA that his treatment was complete and the agency moved forward to approve him.
The FAA wrote to Lubit’z stating: “because of your history of reactive depression, operation of aircraft is prohibited at any time new symptoms or adverse changes occur or any time medication and/or treatment is required.”
The Germanwings A320 crashed in the French Alps on March 24 — 150 people died and there were no survivors. Prosecutors believe Lubitz locked the pilot out of the cockpit and descended the flight until its crash.
Lubitz is accused of deliberately crashing the Germanwings airliner. He previously researched suicide and cockpit doors, according to prosecutors.
German prosecutors said officials found an iPad at Lubitz’s apartment that contained recent internet searches in its browser history.
“During this time the user was searching for medical treatments, as well as informing himself about ways and possibilities of killing himself,” investigators said in a statement. “On at least one day the person concerned also spent several minutes looking up search terms about cockpit doors and their safety measures.”
