Germanwings 4U9525: Co-Pilot’s Suicidal Tendency Reportedly Known To Lufthansa, Didn’t Report Depression To Aviation Authorities

The depression of Andreas Lübitz had reportedly been known to Lufthansa all along. But Lufthansa chose not to declare it to German air traffic authorities since the co-pilot had qualified as such way before rules became stringent in 2013. For several months in 2009, Lübitz had been known to have cancelled his pilot training and when he resumed, he informed by email the Lufthansa school that he had overcome a period of severe depression.

The information developed as a leaked medical report revealed Lübitz was consulting at least five doctors that included psychiatric specialists and a neurologist, Der Spiegel reports. Investigators learned of this because five separate practices have handed their information on the co-pilot. They believe the number could grow in the coming days.

The German Federal Aviation Office, or LBA, said in a statement on Sunday that it had no information of Lübitz’ mental condition. “Luftfahrtbundesamt had not been informed that L. (Lübitz) needs treatment,” the Sunday edition of the Die Welt am Sonntag quoted the regulator. Lufthansa countered it didn’t inform German air traffic authorities because Lübitz subsequently passed all medical tests when he came back to pilot training school.

In what seemed to be a confirmation of its lack of knowledge on the mental state of Lübitz, the LBA said it was only on March 27 that it was able to gain access to the co-pilot’s medical reports from the Lufthansa Aeromedical Centre. A regulation implemented in 2013 should have forced Lufthansa, of which Germanwings is an affiliate, to report Lübitz’ medical condition.

Despite the blaring information contained in his email correspondence, Lübitz was still issued a fit-to-fly certificate in 2009 by a Lufthansa medical centre. But European regulations mandate that pilots with psychiatric conditions should be turned over to the licensing authority for proper and enhance testing and monitoring. The LBA can impose restrictions on pilots' licences based on annual certificates given by doctors.

Lufthansa claimed the 2013 regulations did not specify if those with psychiatric conditions in the past fall under such new rules. Lufthansa confirmed receiving Lübitz’ email, but refrained from identifying the person or unit that received the correspondence.

Ultimately, the crash of Germanwings flight 4U9525 materialised because “Lufthansa's system failed," the daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said.

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