01 April 2015

Germanwings for the day


Nicholas Kulish and Jack Ewing have an article in The New York Times about the recent crash:
The co-pilot at the controls of the German jetliner that crashed in the French Alps last week informed Lufthansa in 2009 that he had suffered from severe depression, the company said recently. Lufthansa said a search of its records found an email showing that the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had informed the company of his condition as he was seeking to rejoin its training program after an absence of several months.
The airline said in a statement that Lubitz had sent its flight training school the email, which included medical documents describing a “previous episode of severe depression”. Lufthansa is the parent company of the budget Germanwings airline that operated the jet that crashed on 24 March 2015.
Lufthansa said it had now turned the information over to the German prosecutor investigating the crash, in which Lubitz and the other people aboard the plane were killed.
It was the first acknowledgment by Lufthansa that it knew of Lubitz’ mental health issues before the crash, and raised further questions about why the airline had allowed Lubitz to complete his training and go on to fly passenger jets.
Prosecutors in Germany said that he had been treated for suicidal tendencies, but did not say when, and Lufthansa’s statement did not address when Lubitz’ depression had occurred, what treatment he might have received or what, if any, follow-up there was with Lubitz by the airline.
Lufthansa’s statement came five days after its chief executive, Carsten Spohr, a former pilot, said the airline had found Lubitz to be “a hundred percent flightworthy without any limitations.” Spohr said last week that candidates for flight school were chosen not only on the basis of their technical ability, but also for their psychological fitness. He said Lufthansa’s screening process was considered state of the art, “and we’re very proud of it”.
Police officers who searched through Lubitz’ apartment in Düsseldorf found doctors’ notes that said Lubitz was too sick to work, including on the day of the crash. One had been torn up and thrown into the trash, leading investigators to conclude that he was hiding his medical problems from the airline.
Lufthansa said it had decided to readmit Lubitz to pilot training after he passed the company’s medical and psychological tests and was found to be healthy. Coming after a serious bout of depression, however, that decision is sure to receive significant scrutiny.
Lufthansa will continue to provide the investigating authorities with its full and unlimited support,” the company said in its statement, but it would not provide additional comment on the matter “because we do not wish to anticipate the ongoing investigation by the Düsseldorf public prosecutor.”
The families of some, if not all, of the victims are also likely to sue the airline for compensation over the deaths of their loved ones. Under the 1999 Montreal Convention, airlines are liable for almost any crash, whether it is caused by pilot error, negligence, or a deliberate act.
Rico says how do you say 'oops' in German?

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