MIAMI (Sputnik) – On March 24, 2015, a Germanwings Airbus flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf crashed in a remote area of the French Alps killing all 150 people on board. According to information from the plane’s black boxes, co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed the plane after locking the pilot out of the cockpit.
“Safety is the focus of aviation professionals, but there is no immunity to mental health issues. The investigation conclusions will help airlines and regulators to look again at the balance needed to monitor mental health,” Tyler said during the annual IATA general meeting in Miami.
Tyler called the Germanwings 9525 crash a "deliberate and horrible act by one of our own."
Lubitz was known to have undergone psychological treatment in 2009 while in training at Germanwings' parent-company Lufthansa's flying school. Intermittent bouts of depression caused him to suspend his training in 2008. Lubitz went on to train at Lufthansa's flight school in Arizona after his reinstatement.
Following the crash, investigators found a ripped up doctor's note saying Lubitz was unfit to work. His computer showed a web search history that included searches for cockpit doors and methods of committing suicide.
IATA is the trade association representing more than 250 airlines around the globe.
