Last week, Germanwings’s flight 9525 crashed over the French Alps, leaving no survivors.
Evidence from the black box recordings suggests that the crash, which killed 149 people, was intentionally committed by the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz.
According to the Washington Post, the Germanwings crash is the third instance of someone committing suicide by crashing a passenger plane in commercial airliner history.
“Since the pilot crashed the plane on purpose, I think that people might become more uncomfortable with air travel. They will worry about safety,” said sophomore Julia Blumer.
As evidenced by the black box recording, the pilot, Patrick Sondenheimer, first got up and left the cockpit, leaving Lubitz in control of the plane. It was at this time that the plane started its descent.
When Sondenheimer returned the the cockpit he was unable to enter, and in the recording, he can be heard banging on the door and calling to be let back into the cockpit.
As the plane descended, the screaming of the passengers and Lubitz’s breathing could be heard.
According to the Telegraph, Lubitz was being treated for suicidal tendencies prior to the plane crash. He had been given a doctor’s note stating that he is unable to work, which he had gotten rid of.
Lubitz was also having problems at home with his pregnant girlfriend.
“Lubitz could have sought help and treatment instead of causing other people pain,” said sophomore Kurt Castro.
On all United States flights, it is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirement that at least two people are in the cockpit at any given time during a flight.
According to NBC, Lufhtansa, the airline company that owns Germanwings, as well as several other airlines, will be adopting the “rule of two” to ensure that no similar incident occurs again.
Lufthansa will also be placing an inspector on each flight to monitor safety procedures.
Sophomore David Skrenta, who is training to get his pilot license said, “I think that other nations should submit their pilots to the same background checks and requirements as ATP pilots in the US. It would also prevent accidents like the Germanwings accident in the future. It would prevent mentally unstable people from obtaining ATP licenses.”
