Andreas Lubitz, Germanwings crash co-pilot (Photo : Reuters)
A major German newspaper has reported that Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who allegedly crashed a Germanwings passenger jet in the Alps, may have had a detached retina for which he sought treatment . However, investigators are uncertain whether his vision difficulties had physical or psychological origins.
Investigators have retrieved one of the A320 jet's "black boxes," which included voice recordings from the cockpit. They verify that Lubitz locked himself in the cockpit, resulting in the jet crashing in southern France after departing from Barcelona.
The newspaper Bild am Sonntag also reported that the Germanwing Airbus's captain had yelled "Open the door!" to co-pilot Lubitz as he tried to reenter the locked cockpit. While trying to break the door, he screamed, "Open the damn door!" according to Reuters.
These events happened seconds before the jet crashed last Tuesday. It resulted in the deaths of all 150 passengers on board.
Germany's top Sunday newspaper also said that investigators had discovered evidence that Lubitz feared becoming blind due to a detached retina. However, it is not clear if this was rational fear due to a natural eyesight condition, or resulted from stress.
Welt am Sonntag, another German newspaper, quoted a senior crash investigator as saying that the 27-year-old Lubitz had been treated by "several" psychiatrists and neurologists, according to Slate.
Investigators discovered numerous prescription medications in the co-pilots apartment. In addition, they found personal notes revealing that Lubitz suffered from major "subjective overstress" symptoms.
A spokesperson from Lufthansa, Germanwings Airbus' parent company, said that the carrier was "unaware" of any illnesses that Lubitz suffered from. They claimed that they had " no information" regarding that issue.
Meanwhile, the CEO of Airbus, which manufactured the crashed aircraft, criticized experts for speaking about the disaster on various TV talk shows. He argued that it was a "mockery" of the victims.
State prosecutors in Duesseldorf refused to comment about the several media reports. They will make no official statements prior to Monday.
Since the crash, airlines such as Lufthansa now always require at least two crew members in the cockpit. That rule is already a requirement in the U.S.
