'Personal life issue' likely behind crashing of Germanwings flight

Investigators will delve in to the personal life of Andreas Lubitz to uncover any clues about his mental state after the revelation that the co-pilot deliberately crashed his own plane, an aviation psychologist said.

'Personal life issue' likely behind crashing of Germanwings flight

Investigators will delve in to the personal life of Andreas Lubitz to uncover any clues about his mental state after the revelation that the co-pilot deliberately crashed his own plane, an aviation psychologist said.

Professor Robert Bor, a specialist aviation psychologist in London, said Lubitz could have been attempting to destroy all evidence of a suicide bid by flying in to a mountain.

He said pilots are subject to “enormous scrutiny” and it would be rare for airlines not to identify a pilot suffering mental health problems.

“The very first thing the aviation authorities and investigators will do is go through his personal background and look at his professional life, in terms of his relationships, finances, flying record and medical record,” he said.

“They will also be interviewing pilots he has flown with over the last few weeks to see if there is anything about his behaviour, attitude or professional conduct that could be potentially relevant here.

“It’s an extremely rare thing for a pilot to crash his own plane.

“Taking an aircraft full of passengers with you and flying in to a mountain suggests you are trying to destroy all the evidence of your suicide attempt.

“But as we have the black box and the recording, he was not very successful in hiding it – if indeed that is what has happened.

“We need to look in to the mind of the person. Unfortunately he is no longer alive but we do leave so-called psychological footprints before we act in this kind of way.

“There is also the possibility that this was an impulsive act at the time, which he had not thought of previously.

“But it is much more likely to be an issue with the personal life of the pilot. Probably there will be answers to these questions quite soon.”

He added that pilots are a very “stable part of the population” who do not usually exhibit psychological problems and who are subject to “enormous scrutiny”.

It includes two medical checks a year and regular contact with their airline, as well as being closely watched by their colleagues every time they fly.

“Every time they arrive at an airport they have to check in and meet with other staff – to not spot a pilot with mental health problems would be quite rare.”

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