The pilots of the crashed Airbus A320 made radio contact with dispatchers at 10:30, just a minute before the sudden descent started, according to French Minister Segolene Ruyal.
During the last radio communication the dispatcher instructed the pilot to stay at an altitude of 11,400 meters. It was noted that at 10:31 the plane started to descend without permission. The dispatcher sent the request to the pilot, but there was no answer.
“At 10:35 the controllers got alarmed. At 10:40 the plane was situated at an altitude of 2,000 meters and then it just disappeared from the radar,” Ruyal told French TV station iTele in an interview.
The Airbus A320, operated by Germanwings, crashed on Tuesday en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf in southern France killing all 150 passengers and crew on board.
