Germanwings report urges checks on pilots following fatal crash

The report into the Germanwings crash which was deliberately caused by a co-pilot has recommended new worldwide rules compelling doctors to tell authorities if a patient could be dangerous. 150 people died in March last year when co-pilot Andreas Lubitz flew flight 9525 into a mountain-side in the French Alps after locking the pilot out of the cockpit. A report into the crash comes after some of the families of the victims, who had advance sight of it, voiced concerns. Investigators told a news conference held as the report was published that a doctor recommended Lubitz should be treated in a psychiatric hospital two weeks before the disaster.

Lubitz should never have been allowed to fly, his mental state had been flagged up more than once. The airline failed in duty of care to act upon it. Now I feel they’re trying to relinquish their responsibilities.

Philip Bramley, 60, whose son died in the crash

Lubitz had begun to show symptoms consistent with a psychotic depressive episode in December 2014 and consulted several doctors over the following months, none of whom alerted aviation authorities or his employer, France’s aviation security agency BEA revealed. Families of the victims have been told Lubitz saw 41 doctors for his condition in recent years. Under German confidentiality laws, none of the doctors was able to alert his employers. BEA investigator Arnaud Desjardins said: “Our first recommendation is … we request clear definition of rules to require care providers to inform the authorities when a specific patient’s health is very likely to impact public safety." Another recommendation, he said, should be carried out on pilots with a "medical history of mental disorder”. Other recommendations included a suggestion that colleagues should be able to safely and securely provide feedback on pilots’ mental states.

It’s a good thing that the report calls for the confidentiality relating to pilots health to be lifted, that’s a positive step. Our primary concern is that this should never be able to happen again.

Philip Bramley

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