French rescue workers inspect the remains of the Germanwings Airbus A320 at the site of the crash, near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps March 29, 2015.
IN PHOTO: French rescue workers inspect the remains of the Germanwings Airbus A320 at the site of the crash, near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps March 29, 2015. The co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing a passenger plane in the French Alps told his girlfriend he was in psychiatric treatment, and that he was planning a spectacular gesture that everyone would remember, the German daily Bild reported on Saturday. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot being blamed for the downing of Germanwings 4U9525 and death of 150 people on board, has reportedly been busy scouring the Internet for information on suicide, cockpit security and manic depression in the days leading to his March 24 flight. He used the moniker “Skydevil” which investigators believed could be a reference to the Sky Devils film shown in 1932 starring Spencer Tracy.

Investigators who accessed Lubitz’ tablet computer that they found in his Dusseldorf flat likewise saw he had been researching on information about blindness, prompting officials to suggest the young co-pilot may have become convinced he was going blind, German newspaper Bild am Sonntag reports. From March 16-23, prosecutors alleged Lubitz alternately searched the Internet for information on “bipolarity,” “manic depression,” “migraines,” “impaired vision” and “acoustic trauma.” The downing of the Airbus A320 carrier Germanwings flight 4U9525 occurred on March 24. It was also found the alleged mentally unstable Lubitz searched for different suicide methods as well as information on cockpit doors and security features.

Evidence from the cockpit voice recorder recovered from the crash site in the French Alps implied the young co-pilot coaxed his colleague Captain Patrick Sondenheimer to take a toilet break. Once the latter had left, prosecutors believed Lubitz immediately locked the door and used controls to override the entry code. He then pushed on a button to start the descent of the plane. Against the screams of the passengers, the pilot could be heard desperately trying to break into the cockpit door with a crowbar.

Prosecutors from the Dusseldorf office said some of Lubitz’s browsing history had been deleted. The searches he made related to medical, suicide and security matters reportedly occurred throughout the week immediately before the disaster. Citing Ralf Herrenbrück, Bild am Sonntag says investigators continue to look at evidence on his computer, as well as in documents and other memory devices seized from his home.

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