More pieces of the very sad, disturbing puzzle are coming together following the crash of the Germanwings Airbus last week, which was discovered to have been an intentional act by the plane’s co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz. An investigation into what could have led Lubitz to plunge a passenger plane into the French Alps uncovered many hints that the 27-year-old was suffering from major depression and suicidal thoughts. The clearest examples were internet searches on his iPad for ways to commit suicide, as well as searches on cockpit safety.
The internet searches in question were conducted between March 16 and March 23, the day before the crash. Prosecutors gave some details in an official statement:
“During this time the user was searching for medical treatments, as well as informing himself about ways and possibilities of killing himself,” they said in a statement.
“On at least one day the person concerned also spent several minutes looking up search terms about cockpit doors and their safety measures,” the statement said.
Investigators are still scouring through Lubitz’s personal belongings in his Dusseldorf apartment, but they didn’t release any further information beyond what was found on the iPad. The fact that these searches were conducted days ahead of the crash suggest that this was a premeditated act, which is consistent with most murder-suicides, according to criminal psychologist and expert on the subject Gaby Dubbert, who said that most of these incidents are “planned well ahead of time.” Investigators will likely try to find out how far back these plans went.
It’s been reported that Lubitz was hiding several medical issues from his employers at Lufthansa, including his depression and vision problems. Notes from doctors saying that he couldn’t fly a plane were found in his apartment, torn up on the day of the crash. A former girlfriend of Lubitz also said that he told her, “One day, I’m going to do something that will change the whole system, and everyone will know my name and remember.”
Source: The New York Times