The final investigation report into the Germanwings crash confirms deep flaws and calls for increased medical monitoring.
We knew the flaws, here they are written in stone. In their final investigation report, the French aviation experts come back to the shortcomings detected following the suicide of pilot Andreas Lubitz, which led to a plane crash and the death of 150 people in March 2015, in the southern French Alps. The document also makes a series of recommendations to secure procedures.
This report from the BEA (Bureau of Investigations and Analyzes), made public at a press conference at Le Bourget, definitively confirms that the crash was intentionally caused by the German co-pilot of the aircraft, who suffered from psychiatric disorders. .
Andreas Lubitz had started to develop alarming symptoms, suggesting a psychotic depressive episode as early as December 2014. He had consulted several doctors; none alerted the aviation authorities, or his employer, Germanwings. Two weeks before the disaster, a doctor had recommended hospitalization in a psychiatric facility.
In this report, the BEA recommends strengthening the medical control of pilots, through “regular analysis of flight disabilities, in particular for psychological or psychiatric problems”. The BEA also calls for the establishment of “clear rules” in order to authorize the breaking of medical confidentiality in the event of psychological disorders of a pilot.
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