Germanwings crash: German police search co-pilot's home
Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, seen here on his Facebook profile, controlled the plane's descent, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said
Police have seized possessions of the Germanwings co-pilot who prosecutors say deliberately crashed his plane in the French Alps killing 150 people.
They found significant clues suggesting he suffered from "psychological illness", according to Der Spiegel.
Data from the plane's voice recorder suggest Andreas Lubitz had purposely started a descent while the pilot was locked out of the cockpit.
Reports in the German media indicate Andreas Lubitz had been depressed.
The Barcelona-Duesseldorf flight crashed on Tuesday.
Several airlines have now pledged to change their rules to ensure at least two crew members are present in the cockpit at all times.
'Heavily depressive'
The revelations by the German police come after officers searched Mr Lubitz's flat in Duesseldorf and the house the 27-year-old shared with his parents in Montabaur, north of Frankfurt, late on Thursday.
A number of items were removed - including boxes and a computer - from the two properties.
Andreas Lubitz: Germanwings co-pilot under scrutiny
Started training in 2008, at Bremen and Arizona. Training was interrupted for some months - but he later passed all tests and was deemed fit to fly
Working as co-pilot, or first officer, since 2013. Appeared pleased with his job
Lived in town of Montabaur, near Frankfurt, reportedly with his parents. Kept a flat in Duesseldorf and had many friends
Facebook profile suggests the active lifestyle of a keen runner, with an interest in pop music
Who was Andreas Lubitz?
"We have found something which will now be taken for tests. We cannot say what it is at the moment but it may be a very significant clue to what has happened," the Daily Mail quoted police spokesman Markus Niesczery as saying.
Police said the discovery was not a suicide note.
German media said investigators had uncovered evidence of mental health problems at the Duesseldorf flat.
News site Bild also refers to confidential medical records to assert that the co-pilot went through a "heavily depressive episode", and that was why he broke off training for several months six years ago.
It says he was still undergoing treatment.
However, none of these assertions have been official unconfirmed.
Carsten Spohr - the head of Lufthansa, the German carrier that owns Germanwings - said on Thursday that Mr Lubitz was only able to resume training after his suitability was "re-established".
Axe
German government officials said Mr Lubitz was not known to the country's security services.
Police removed a number of items - including a computer - from Andreas Lubitz's properties
Families of the crash victims began arriving at Seyne-les-Alpes, a town close to the crash site, in a convoy of coaches on Thursday
In the hamlet of Vernet, a "viewing tent" was set up where families could look in the direction of the crash site. Families laid flowers and photographs in memory of those lost.
The crash site, in a remote mountain ravine, is now the scene of a massive recovery operationBased on data from the recovered "black box" voice recorder, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said on Thursday that Mr Lubitz appeared to want to "destroy the plane".
The evidence suggested the pilot had left the cockpit, probably to go to the toilet, during which the door was barred. He fought unsuccessfully to get back, he said.
Bild quotes security sources as saying that the pilot used an axe to try to break down the door.
Analysis: Richard Westcott, BBC transport correspondent
The focus now moves from the mechanics to the man flying the plane. An accident expert has told me the investigators will pore over the co-pilot's background and that of his family too.
Did he owe money? Was there a grudge? They'll look at his religion, whether he was in trouble with the law, whether he had a stable love life. This kind of event is rare but it has happened before, although the reasons vary widely.
After 9/11, they made cockpits impregnable. It keeps the terrorists out, but in the end it also allows someone to keep their colleagues out too. Airlines have to make a call. Which is the bigger threat - terrorism or suicide?
A Germanwings spokesperson would only confirm that an emergency axe is part of the equipment on board an A320.
What happened in the final half hour?
The second "black box" - that records flight data - has still not been found.
Family members of some of the 150 passengers and crew who died have visited Seyne-les-Alpes, near the crash site, reported Reuters news agency.
The focus now moves from the mechanics to the man flying the plane. An accident expert has told me the investigators will pore over the co-pilot's background and that of his family too.
Did he owe money? Was there a grudge? They'll look at his religion, whether he was in trouble with the law, whether he had a stable love life. This kind of event is rare but it has happened before, although the reasons vary widely.
After 9/11, they made cockpits impregnable. It keeps the terrorists out, but in the end it also allows someone to keep their colleagues out too. Airlines have to make a call. Which is the bigger threat - terrorism or suicide?
A Germanwings spokesperson would only confirm that an emergency axe is part of the equipment on board an A320.
What happened in the final half hour?
The second "black box" - that records flight data - has still not been found.
Family members of some of the 150 passengers and crew who died have visited Seyne-les-Alpes, near the crash site, reported Reuters news agency.
Jean Sebastien Beaud describes the plane crash scene as "surreal"
They were being accompanied by psychologists, paramedics and Red Cross workers, and a youth centre in the town was set up to receive them, it said.
Families are providing DNA samples to allow for identification of victims' remains.
Members of the Westerwald flight club, where the co-pilot was a member, expressed their shock at the revelation.
Members of the flight club where Andreas Lubitz was a member have been talking about his personality
"Andreas was a very nice young man, who did his training here. He was part of the club," Peter Reucker said.
"[He was] funny, sometimes a bit quiet, but apart from that a young man like many others that we have here. He integrated well.
"I'm absolutely speechless. I have no explanation for this," Mr Reucker added.
Crash site close-ups
Other incidents thought to be caused by deliberate pilot action
29 November 2013: A flight between Mozambique and Angola crashed in Namibia, killing 33 people. Initial investigation results suggested the accident was deliberately carried out by the captain shortly after the first officer (also known as the co-pilot) had left the flight deck.
31 October 1999: An EgyptAir Boeing 767 went into a rapid descent 30 minutes after taking off from New York, killing 217 people. An investigation suggested that the crash was caused deliberately by the relief first officer but the evidence was not conclusive.
19 December 1997: More than 100 people were killed when a Boeing 737 travelling from Indonesia to Singapore crashed. The pilot - suffering from "multiple work-related difficulties" - was suspected of switching off the flight recorders and intentionally putting the plane into a dive.
Source: Aviation Safety Network
They were being accompanied by psychologists, paramedics and Red Cross workers, and a youth centre in the town was set up to receive them, it said.
Families are providing DNA samples to allow for identification of victims' remains.
Members of the Westerwald flight club, where the co-pilot was a member, expressed their shock at the revelation.
Members of the flight club where Andreas Lubitz was a member have been talking about his personality
"Andreas was a very nice young man, who did his training here. He was part of the club," Peter Reucker said.
"[He was] funny, sometimes a bit quiet, but apart from that a young man like many others that we have here. He integrated well.
"I'm absolutely speechless. I have no explanation for this," Mr Reucker added.
Crash site close-ups
Other incidents thought to be caused by deliberate pilot action
29 November 2013: A flight between Mozambique and Angola crashed in Namibia, killing 33 people. Initial investigation results suggested the accident was deliberately carried out by the captain shortly after the first officer (also known as the co-pilot) had left the flight deck.
31 October 1999: An EgyptAir Boeing 767 went into a rapid descent 30 minutes after taking off from New York, killing 217 people. An investigation suggested that the crash was caused deliberately by the relief first officer but the evidence was not conclusive.
19 December 1997: More than 100 people were killed when a Boeing 737 travelling from Indonesia to Singapore crashed. The pilot - suffering from "multiple work-related difficulties" - was suspected of switching off the flight recorders and intentionally putting the plane into a dive.
Source: Aviation Safety Network
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