Following the almost suicide-like plane crash of the Germanwings flight, new regulations will soon be set in place to have two people in the cockpit at all times.
With 150 individuals onboard and killed, Norwegian Air stated how they will be changing their policies to match the policies instated by the US and Canada. When one pilot leaves the cockpit, a crew member from the plane must replace them during the time they are gone. The new regulation will go into effect as soon as the airline receives approval from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority.
After listening to recordings from the flight, many questioned if the co-pilot, the one who crashed the plane, intentionally did what he did after locking the captain out of the cockpit. Since it is difficult to determine his intentions, a press conference later addressed questions on mental health and overall health of qualified pilots.
Andreas Lubitz, the pilot who was in control when the aircraft began to descend, logged 630 flight hours by the age of 28 and had gone through “psychological tests with flying colors” stated Lufthansa’s chief executive, during the press conference addressing the crash. There were reports that he may have suffered from depression in the past but it could not be confirmed because of privacy in medical records. Physicals are required every year, but psychological checks are not. Only eight out of the 2,758 fatal aviation accidents from 2003 to 2012 were suicide related, therefore relating plane crashes to the pilot’s mental health comprises a small percentage.
Little could be revealed, but after searching Lubitz’s home, a significant discovery to the plane crash was found, yet it was not a suicide note. Authorities have stated that there is no indication that the crash was an act of terrorism and have also stopped short of declaring it to be a suicide. They are likely to treat the crash as a mass murder investigation since it was a voluntary choice for Lubitz to destroy the plane, lock out the pilot and not respond to incoming air traffic control calls.
Whether this crash was a suicide, terrorist attack or mass murder, Germanwings and its parent company, Lufthansa, has one of the best safety records in the world, ranking 12 out of 60 internationally, which is why they are changing cockpit regulations as soon as they receive approval.
Sources: NBC News, Fox News, Time