April 19, 2026 04:35 pm (IST)
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Germanwings co-pilot "deliberately" crashed aircraft: French Prosecutor
Paris, Mar 26 (IBNS): Chief Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin, who is in charge of investigating into the crash of a Germanwings jetliner which left 150 people dead, on Thursday said that evidence from the cockpit voice recorder indicated that the co-pilot had deliberately locked the captain out of the cockpit and steered the plane into its descent.
"At this moment, in light of investigation, the interpretation we can give at this time is that the co-pilot through voluntary abstention refused to open the door of the cockpit to the commander, and activated the button that commands the loss of altitude," Brice Robin was quoted as saying by French media.
Robin said information collected from the black box cockpit recorder suggested that the co-pilot, who has been identified as German citizen Andreas Lubitz, refused to open the cabin's door and "intentionally'' sent the plane into its fatal descent.
He said it appeared that the co-pilot's intention had been "to destroy the aircraft."
According to him, the co-pilot had been breathing until before the moment of impact, which suggested that he was conscious of his actions.
The revelation comes after the flight, which belongs to Germanwings and carrying 144 passengers and six crew members, crashed in the French Alps between Barcelonnette and Digne on Tuesday killing all people on board.
French transport officials said there were no survivors.
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