Co-pilot responsible for French plane crash, prosecutor says

Thursday, March 26, 2015, 9:53 AM - "Voluntary action" by the co-pilot is being blamed for the Germanwings plane crash in France as recovery efforts resumed amid improved weather conditions Thursday.

In a dramatic press conference, Marseille public prosecutor Brice Robin said "it was voluntary action" that brought down the plane.

Recordings revealed that the pilot left the cockpit to use the toilet and was unable to open the door upon return, said Robin, who is leading the criminal investigation into the crash.

The pilot is heard knocking on the door to get back in, and then tried to smash the door open with only the co-pilot in the cockpit at the time of the crash, Robin said, confirming earlier reports.

The co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, 28, was seemingly awake and fine during the final descent, Robin said. He was breathing normally.

It was Lubitz who accelerated the Airbus A320's descent, Robid said.

"There is no element that indicates this is a terrorist action," he said. "I can't call this a suicide, but it is a legitimate question to ask."

Bad weather and rough terrain had hampered the first full day of recovery efforts Wednesday at the remote crash in the French Alps, but conditions had cleared up on Thursday.

The plane, an Airbus A320 operated by airline Germanwings and flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, went down between the French communities of Barcelonnette and Digne.

It seems the plane descended from its cruising height for around nine minutes before contact was lost at 10:53 a.m. local time Tuesday, at an altitude of 6,000 feet. 

The crash site is at a height of around 2,000 m, and is reported to be remote and difficult to access, with rescuers forced to enter the region by helicopter.

Officials have said that efforts to retrieve the second data recorder and recover bodies from the site will take several days.

Germanwings later confirmed on its Facebook page that there were 150 people aboard the plane, including 144 passengers and six crew. 

At a press conference, Germanwings said among the passengers were two babies, and an estimated 67 Germans, including 16 high school students returning from an exchange trip.

No Canadians were onboard. 

Germanwings is a subsidiary of Lufthansa. The downed plane was 24 years old, and its pilot was said by Germanwings spokespeople to be a veteran with more than 10 years' flying experience.

The plane had been grounded on Monday to repair one of its doors, according to a company spokesperson.

A number of Germanwings' flights have been cancelled as many employees were reluctant to fly, according to the company website.

SOURCE: BBC | Associated Press | France24 | Airfleets.net | Toronto Star | AFP | The Guardian