Ceremony for Crash Victims (Photo : REUTERS/Eric Gaillard)
In a shocking news update about Germanwings' Airbus 320 crash, the co-pilot was apparently the one responsible for the accident, deliberately pressing the descent button after activating the cockpit's door five-minute override and locking the pilot out.
French prosecutors said that 28-year-old Andreas Lubitz, a German national, brought the plane into a doomed descent which took the lives of all 150 people on board.
The co-pilot apparently "wanted to destroy the aircraft," Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said. He also added that it is still unclear if the actions of Lubitz had long been planned.
Lufthansa Airlines, the company that owns Germanwings, held a news conference regarding the recent developments. The company's chief executive Carsten Spohr expressed their disbelief, saying it was beyond their worst nightmare and the findings left them speechless.
According to NBC News, this is not the first time a plane has been crashed on purpose while Lufthansa officials say they can just speculate on what drove the German co-pilot to do what he did.
Lubitz had completed 630 hours of flying time and had been with the airline company since 2013. He also had all the certifications and qualifications to fly the aircraft on his own.
However, he had only flown the same type of plane for 100 hours. Nevertheless, he was able to pass all the medical tests.
Also, news reports say there were three Americans believed to be in the flight. According to The Washington Post, two of these passengers were a mother and daughter from Virginia.
