Germanwings co-pilot may have hidden evidence of illness, German prosecutors reveal

Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz appears to have hidden evidence of an illness from his employers, including having been excused by a doctor from work the day he crashed a passenger plane into a mountain.

The evidence came from the search of Lubitz’s homes in two German cities for an explanation of why he crashed the Airbus A320 into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board.

Prosecutors did not say what type of illness — mental or physical — Lubitz may have been suffering from but it was widely reported that the 27-year-old had received treatment for depression.

Duesseldorf prosecutors’ office spokesman Ralf Herrenbrueck said in a written statement that torn-up sick notes for the day of the crash “support the current preliminary assessment that the deceased hid his illness from his employer and colleagues.” Such sick notes from doctors excusing employees from work are common in Germany and issued even for minor illnesses.

Herrenbrueck said other medical documents found indicated “an existing illness and appropriate medical treatment,” but that no suicide note was found.

He added there was no indication of any political or religious motivation for Lubitz’s actions.

Germanwings and its parent company Lufthansa declined immediately to comment.

A firefighter stands in front of candles and flowers on the steps to the Joseph-Koenig high school in Haltern, Germany, prior to a mourning service yesterday.

Investigators had removed multiple boxes of items from Lubitz’s apartment in Duesseldorf and his parents’ house in Montabaur, near Frankfurt. A German aviation official said that Lubitz’s file at the country’s Federal Aviation Office contained an “SIC” note, meaning he needed “specific regular medical examination”. Such a note could refer to either a physical or mental condition, but the official — who spoke only on condition of anonymity — said the note does not specify which.

However, neighbours described a man whose physical health was superb.

“He definitely did not smoke. He really took care of himself. He always went jogging. I am not sure whether he did marathons, but he was very healthy,” Johannes Rossmann, who lived a few doors down from Lubitz’s home in Montabaur said.

German media painted a picture of a man with a history of depression who had received psychological treatment, and who may have been set off by a falling out with his girlfriend.

Duesseldorf prosecutors refused to comment on the anonymously sourced reports, citing the ongoing investigation.

Family members of a victim at a plaque near the area where the Germanwings jet crashed.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said there was a “several-month” gap in Lubitz’s training six years ago, but would not elaborate. Following the disruption, he said, Lubitz “not only passed all medical tests but also his flight training, all flying tests and checks”.

The US Federal Aviation Administration had issued Lubitz a third-class medical certificate. In order to obtain such a certificate, a pilot must be cleared of psychological problems including psychosis, bipolar disorder, and personality disorder “that is severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts”.

The certificate also means that he wasn’t found to be suffering from another mental health condition that “makes the person unable to safely perform the duties or exercise the privileges” of a pilot’s licence.

Experts say it’s possible that someone with mental health problems could have hidden them from employers or a doctor without specialist training. “It’s a high-stakes situation for pilots because they know if they give the wrong answer, they could lose their licence,” said Dr Raj Persaud, fellow of Britain’s Royal College of Psychiatrists.

“A very good psychologist or psychiatrist who spends in-depth time with him would be able to pick up [a problem], but you have to throw an awful lot of resources at it to do that and often, I don’t think [pilots] are getting in-depth assessments,” Persaud said.

The president of German pilots union Cockpit said medical checkups are done by certified doctors and take place once a year.

“At the moment all the evidence points clearly in one direction and it’s the most likely scenario, there’s no doubt about that,” Ilja Schulz said. “But all the pieces must be put together to see whether there were any other factors that played a role, or not. Only then can you draw lessons that will improve security in future.”

French investigators, who are in charge of the probe into the plane crash, believe Lubitz locked himself inside the cockpit and then intentionally smashed the plane into a mountainside on Tuesday during a flight from Barcelona to Duesseldorf.

According to Bild, the captain even tried using an axe to break through the armoured door as the plane was sent into its fatal descent by Lubitz. This could not be immediately confirmed, but a spokesman for German-wings told Bild an axe was standard emergency equipment on board the aircraft.

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