Report: Germanwings Co-Pilot Treated For Depression
Here are the latest developments this morning in the investigation into Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot of Germanwings Flight FU 9525 who appears to have deliberately crashed the plane carrying 150 people into the French Alps.
—Bild, the German mass-circulation daily, reported that Lubitz received 18 months of psychiatric treatment for a "serious depressive episode." The paper cited internal documents and sources in Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings. That revelation comes after Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said at a news conference Thursday that Lubtiz took a break during his training six years ago. Bild reported Lubitz was deemed "unable to fly" when he was being trained at Lufthansa's flight school in Phoenix, Ariz. Spohr said Thursday that Lubitz had gone through "psychological tests with flying colors." It is unclear if Lubtiz's reported treatment has any connection to the crash.
— Duesseldorf police searched Lubitz's home in the town of Montabaur. Susanna Heusgen, a spokeswoman, told Esme Nicholson, who is reporting for our Newscast unit on the story, that it may take some time before anything significant is found.
-Major airlines in Britain, Canada, Germany and Norway announced changes to their safety policies after it was revealed that Lubitz crashed the plane while he was alone in the cockpit; the aircraft's pilot had stepped outside apparently to use the restroom. Under the changed safety protocol, two crew members will always be inside the cockpit. This policy already exists in the U.S.
The Germanwings Airbus A320 was flying from Barcelona, Spain, to Duesseldorf, Germany, when it crashed Tuesday. All 150 people on board are believed dead.
You can find our complete coverage of this story here.
Andreas Lubitz
germanwings Flight 4U 9525