Update | Germanwings co-pilot who crashed plane into Alps ‘hid illness from airline’
Chilling cockpit recordings during plane's final moments point to 'deliberate act' to crash the plane with 150 aboard, says prosecutor
Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz appears to have hidden evidence of an illness from his employers, including having been excused by a doctor from work the day he crashed a passenger plane into a mountain, prosecutors said on Friday.
The evidence came from the search of Lubitz’s homes in two German cities for an explanation of why he crashed the Airbus A320 into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board.
Prosecutor’s spokesman Ralf Herrenbrueck said in a written statement that torn-up sick notes for the day of the crash “support the current preliminary assessment that the deceased hid his illness from his employer and colleagues.”
Such sick notes from doctors excusing employees from work are common in Germany and issued even for minor illnesses. Herrenbrueck didn’t reveal details of what illness Lubitz was suffering from.
Herrenbrueck said other medical documents found indicated “an existing illness and appropriate medical treatment,” but that no suicide note was found. He added there was no indication of any political or religious motivation for Lubitz’s actions.
The Germanwings co-pilot said to have deliberately crashed an Airbus with 149 others aboard into the French Alps was still getting assistance from doctors after a bout of severe depression, German daily Bild reported today.