Unfolding investigations have revealed that the co-pilot of the ill-fated Germanwings Flight 9525 which crashed in the French Alps, was responsible for the flash.
Carsten Spohr, the Chief Executive Officer, has stated that he is “speechless” on discovering that the co-pilot is the likely culprit behind the tragedy which claimed the lives of 150 people including two babies.
Spohr also debunked speculations of a suicide motive, stating that an action that led to the death of so many people cannot be described as a suicide.
The New York Times had reported that an investigator involved in the analysis of the blackbox audio recordings of what transpired in the cockpit before the fatal crash of the Germanwings Flight 9525, stated that preliminary analysis has revealed that the pilot was locked out of the cockpit by his co-pilot minutes before the crash.
Remi Jouty, who is head of France’s accident investigation bureau BEA, had stated on Wednesday that analysis of the blackbox had yielded sounds and voices, but so far not the “slightest explanation” of why the plane crashed, killing all 150 on board.
But the New York Times said that the audio analysis, according to the investigator it contacted, suggests that one of the pilots was heard leaving the cockpit, then banging on the door with increasing urgency in an unsuccessful attempt to get back in.
“The guy outside is knocking lightly on the door and there is no answer,” The New York Times quotes an unidentified investigator as saying. “And then he hits the door stronger and no answer. There is never an answer.”
“You can hear he is trying to smash the door down,” the newspaper quotes the investigator as saying.
The investigator, according to the newspaper, also said that officials do not know yet why the pilot left. He also stated that they do not know why the other pilot didn’t open the door or make contact with ground control before the crash.
The New York Times however did not disclose the name of the investigator, since investigations into the cause of the aircraft crash were ongoing.
The Germanwings Flight 9525 conveying 145 passengers and six crew members crashed Tuesday in the southern French Alps while flying from Spain to Germany.
It was reported that the Airbus A320 disappeared from the radar in the Alpes de Hautes Provence after a distress signal was sent at 10.47am on Tuesday.
The plane took off from Barcelona en route to Dusseldorf, Germany, and while the first half of the flight was normal and uneventful as the plane rose up over the Mediterranean and turned over France, the last communication received was a routine request to continue on its route.