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Alps Crash Co-Pilot 'Planned Place In History'

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 28 Maret 2015 | 14.59

Alps Crash Co-Pilot 'Planned Place In History'

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A former girlfriend of the co-pilot accused of deliberately crashing a Germanwings plane is reported to have told how he suffered nightmares and once ominously woke up screaming: "We're going down!"

According to the Bild newspaper, the ex-lover of Andreas Lubitz, identified only as Mary W, said he had told her last year: "One day I will do something that will change the whole system, and then all will know my name and remember it."

She added: "I never knew what he meant, but now it makes sense."

The 26-year-old stewardess said Lubitz had been tormented by nightmares and his behaviour scared her.

"At night, he woke up and screamed: 'We're going down!', because he had nightmares. He knew how to hide from other people what was really going on inside," she told the paper.

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  1. Gallery: The Victims Of The Germanwings Crash

    American Emily Selke, a recent graduate, was on the plane with her mother Yvonne. Raymond Selke has described his wife and daughter as 'amazing people'. Pic: Facebook

Iranian sports journalist Hussein Javadi was on his way to Austria to cover a football match. A friend said he was 'a kind, loving, caring man'. Pic: Maysam Bizær/Hossein Javadi

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  • Argentinian Sebastian Greco was on board with his girlfriend. Pic: Facebook

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  • Argentinian Gabriela Maumus, 28, was the daughter of a firefighter. Pic: Facebook

    ]]>

  • Spanish victim Carles Milla Masanas, 37. The businessman was on his way to a food industry fayre. Pic: Facebook

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  • Her claims follow revelations by German prosecutors that Lubitz had hidden a sick note declaring him unfit to work on the day of the disaster before boarding the Barcelona to Dusseldorf flight and piloting it into a mountainside in the French Alps.

    All 150 people on board the Airbus A320 were killed in the crash.

    The prosecutors' office said: "Documents with medical contents were confiscated that point towards an existing illness and corresponding treatment by doctors.

    "The fact there are sick notes saying he was unable to work, among other things, that were found torn up, which were recent and even from the day of the crime, support the assumption based on the preliminary examination that the deceased hid his illness from his employer and his professional colleagues."

    Germanwings confirmed the sick note was not submitted to the company.

    The prosecutors also said the search found no suicide note or confession, "nor was there any evidence of a political or religious background to what happened".

    Lubitz lived with his parents, a banker and a church organist, in his small home town of Montabaur in the Rhineland and kept an apartment in Dusseldorf.

    Montabaur Mayor Edmund Schaaf urged reporters camped out in the community to show restraint.

    "Regardless of whether the accusations against the co-pilot are true, we sympathise with his family and ask the media to be considerate," he said.

    German media has reported Lubitz received treatment for a "serious depressive episode" six years ago during his training to become a pilot.

    Lufthansa, parent company of Germanwings, said it was aware he had broken off his training in 2009, but said there was nothing in his background to suggest he was a risk.

    The company, which also owns Austrian Airlines and Swiss Air, said he passed all the relevant examinations necessary to become a pilot and was deemed "100% airworthy".

    Some 75 German people were on board the aircraft. At least 50 Spanish citizens were also on the flight, along with three Britons.

    On Friday, a memorial service was held in Dusseldorf for the German victims of the crash and hundreds of other mourners attended a mass in Barcelona for three generations of one family who died.

    Lufthansa said family briefings are planned for later today at its family assistance centre in the French city of Marseille.

    The airline also announced it would pay up to 50,000 euros (£36,000) in immediate financial assistance per passenger.

    Police and rescue workers are still hunting for the aircraft's second black box on the fifth day of recovery operations at the scene of the crash.

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    • Alps Crash Co-Pilot 'Planned Place In History'

    We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

    A former girlfriend of the co-pilot accused of deliberately crashing a Germanwings plane is reported to have told how he suffered nightmares and once ominously woke up screaming: "We're going down!"

    According to the Bild newspaper, the ex-lover of Andreas Lubitz, identified only as Mary W, said he had told her last year: "One day I will do something that will change the whole system, and then all will know my name and remember it."

    She added: "I never knew what he meant, but now it makes sense."

    The 26-year-old stewardess said Lubitz had been tormented by nightmares and his behaviour scared her.

    "At night, he woke up and screamed: 'We're going down!', because he had nightmares. He knew how to hide from other people what was really going on inside," she told the paper.

    1/16

    1. Gallery: The Victims Of The Germanwings Crash

      American Emily Selke, a recent graduate, was on the plane with her mother Yvonne. Raymond Selke has described his wife and daughter as 'amazing people'. Pic: Facebook

    Iranian sports journalist Hussein Javadi was on his way to Austria to cover a football match. A friend said he was 'a kind, loving, caring man'. Pic: Maysam Bizær/Hossein Javadi

    ]]>

  • Argentinian Sebastian Greco was on board with his girlfriend. Pic: Facebook

    ]]>

  • Argentinian Gabriela Maumus, 28, was the daughter of a firefighter. Pic: Facebook

    ]]>

  • Spanish victim Carles Milla Masanas, 37. The businessman was on his way to a food industry fayre. Pic: Facebook

    ]]>

  • Her claims follow revelations by German prosecutors that Lubitz had hidden a sick note declaring him unfit to work on the day of the disaster before boarding the Barcelona to Dusseldorf flight and piloting it into a mountainside in the French Alps.

    All 150 people on board the Airbus A320 were killed in the crash.

    The prosecutors' office said: "Documents with medical contents were confiscated that point towards an existing illness and corresponding treatment by doctors.

    "The fact there are sick notes saying he was unable to work, among other things, that were found torn up, which were recent and even from the day of the crime, support the assumption based on the preliminary examination that the deceased hid his illness from his employer and his professional colleagues."

    Germanwings confirmed the sick note was not submitted to the company.

    The prosecutors also said the search found no suicide note or confession, "nor was there any evidence of a political or religious background to what happened".

    Lubitz lived with his parents, a banker and a church organist, in his small home town of Montabaur in the Rhineland and kept an apartment in Dusseldorf.

    Montabaur Mayor Edmund Schaaf urged reporters camped out in the community to show restraint.

    "Regardless of whether the accusations against the co-pilot are true, we sympathise with his family and ask the media to be considerate," he said.

    German media has reported Lubitz received treatment for a "serious depressive episode" six years ago during his training to become a pilot.

    Lufthansa, parent company of Germanwings, said it was aware he had broken off his training in 2009, but said there was nothing in his background to suggest he was a risk.

    The company, which also owns Austrian Airlines and Swiss Air, said he passed all the relevant examinations necessary to become a pilot and was deemed "100% airworthy".

    Some 75 German people were on board the aircraft. At least 50 Spanish citizens were also on the flight, along with three Britons.

    On Friday, a memorial service was held in Dusseldorf for the German victims of the crash and hundreds of other mourners attended a mass in Barcelona for three generations of one family who died.

    Lufthansa said family briefings are planned for later today at its family assistance centre in the French city of Marseille.

    The airline also announced it would pay up to 50,000 euros (£36,000) in immediate financial assistance per passenger.

    Police and rescue workers are still hunting for the aircraft's second black box on the fifth day of recovery operations at the scene of the crash.

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    Suicide Plane Crash 'Difficult To Predict'

    No amount of personality tests could necessarily have prevented co-pilot Andreas Lubitz from crashing a passenger plane in the French Alps, an expert has told Sky News.

    Such "incredibly rare" events could not always be predicted, said aviation psychologist Professor Robert Bor.

    He suggested in the Lubitz case, the 27-year-old's problems had gone "below the radar" and he was able to conceal his mental illness.

    And this appears to be borne out following the revelation by German prosecutors that Lubitz had a sick note for the day of the crash, in which 150 died.

    This was found torn-up along with medical documents during searches of Lubitz's flat in Dusseldorf and the home he shared with his parents in the town of Montabaur.

    :: Click here for live updates of the Alps plane crash investigation

    While it was not routine for pilots to undertake regular psychometric testing, Prof Bor said: "When we are looking at incredibly rare events such as this no amount of that kind of scrutiny will necessarily pick up every single person who is at risk or susceptible."

    He also cautioned that tighter rules and tougher tests likely to be introduced in the wake of the disaster, will not necessarily improve safety.

    "It will probably improve our sense of safety," he said.

    "With very rare events we can't always predict them with 100% accuracy."

    Prof Bor told Sky News: "It's incredibly rare and in fact the number of cases in the last 25 years involving commercial jets is probably no more than half a dozen."

    The fact he took time off with depression while in pilot training back in 2009 did not necessarily indicate his future behaviour, he added.

    "Many people in the general population, pilots as well, occasionally are going to have periods of low moods and anxiety and this may be temporary it may not be something that is lasting," Prof Bor said.

    "On the other hand all of us can change.

    "Within a matter of days, weeks, there could be a bad trigger event in our life."

    A relationship break-up or a dispute at work may "have just tipped him over and turned somebody who might have a depressive illness into somebody who was very despairing and very angry".

    "Because that's usually what can lead to or trigger a suicidal act in an individual," he said.

    Prof Bor said: "Pilots as an occupational group are very closely scrutinised really from the time they enter flight school to really the last flight that they are on.

    "At any moment they are being closely observed, their actions, their behaviour, their communication patterns and so on are being monitored in some kind of way.

    "On top of that they undergo rigorous medical tests at least once a year, sometimes twice a year depending on the kind of aircraft they are flying.

    "And of course each time they are flying they are being watched by their co-pilots, by the dispatcher when they leave the stand.

    "And they are also subject to random drug and alcohol testing as well.

    "So the chances of these sort of things happening are very rare.

    "And one can only think in this particular case his problem went literally below the radar. He was able to conceal it in some kind of way.

    "Unless it was, as we might come to discover, apparent to the airline that he was having some kind of difficulties but for whatever reason they were not implementing the standard cut-offs which are when pilots have significant psychological stress they definitely shouldn't be flying."


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    Andreas Lubitz: Profile Of Killer Co-Pilot

    The co-pilot who deliberately crashed a plane in the French Alps with the loss of 150 lives had a history of depression, it has been reported.

    The focus on Andreas Lubitz's mental health comes after a French prosecutor concluded the 27-year-old had deliberately flown the Germanwings Airbus 320 into the mountainside killing all those on board.

    German prosecutors have said there are indications the co-pilot concealed an illness from his employer, hiding a sick note for the day of the crash.

    However, they did not specify the nature of the illness.

    Matthias Gebauer, chief correspondent for the online edition of German newspaper Der Spiegel, tweeted: "Schoolmates of co-pilot who crashed tell German reporters he took six-months break from flight training in 2009 due to burnout-syndrome."

    The head of Lufthansa, the budget airline's parent company, has already admitted Lubitz had taken the lengthy break from training.

    While chief executive Carsten Spohr did not give a reason for this interruption, German media reported he was suffering from "burnout or depression".

    :: Click here for live updates of the Alps plane crash investigation

    Mr Spohr said: "I cannot tell you anything about the reasons of this interruption, but anybody who interrupts the training has to do a lot of tests so the competence and fitness would be checked again."

    According to Lufthansa, Germanwings pilots undergo medical tests once a year.

    However, they are only required to undergo psychological tests once, before they are accepted as pilots.

    Lubitz also underwent a regular security check on 27 January and nothing untoward was found, the local government in Dusseldorf said.

    Previous security checks in 2008 and 2010 also revealed no problems.

    Lubitz had grown up dreaming of becoming a pilot, gaining his glider's licence after training with LSC Westerwald flying club in his hometown of Montabaur.

    Club member Peter Ruecker recalled Lubitz as "rather quiet but friendly" when he first joined the club as a teenager.

    He added: "He was happy he had the job with Germanwings and he was doing well."

    Lubitz had been employed as a flight attendant before training to be a pilot at the Lufthansa flight school in Bremen.

    He also underwent training in Phoenix, Arizona.

    Lubitz joined Germanwings in 2013 and had clocked up 630 flying hours before the disaster.

    Lufthansa said he passed all the relevant examinations necessary to become a pilot and was deemed "100% airworthy".

    Lubitz had also been included by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on its database to show he had met or exceeded its pilot certification standards, which aim to "reduce pilot errors that lead to fatal crashes".

    In Montabaur where Lubitz lived with his parents, neighbours reacted with disbelief when they heard of his involvement.

    One man, who did not want to be named, said that he had known the pilot since childhood.

    He told Sky News: "I cannot imagine that he has done it with intention.

    "This does not fit in this picture I have of him. It is a very upright family, very helpful and I cannot understand what has happened.

    "I knew the children when they were small boys."

    Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said Lubitz, who also had a flat in Dusseldorf, had never been flagged as a terrorist.

    And when pressed over Lubitz's religion, he said: "I don't think this is where this lies. I don't think we will get any answers there."

    Although rare, there have been previous instances of suspected pilot suicide.

    The most infamous likely - but still disputed - cases of pilot suicide was the 1997 Silk Air crash in Indonesia, in which 104 people died.

    A US-led investigation concluded it had been caused deliberately, probably by the captain who had serious personal problems.

    A Mozambique Airlines plane crash that killed 33 people in Namibia in 2013 is also believed to have been a case of pilot suicide.


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    'Significant Find' At French Alps Co-Pilot's Home

    Written By Unknown on Jumat, 27 Maret 2015 | 14.59

    By Mike McCarthy, Sky News Correspondent

    An investigation is under way into the life of the co-pilot who has been blamed for causing the French Alps plane crash.

    Andreas Lubitz, 27, has been accused of deliberately flying the Airbus A320 into a mountainside shortly after preventing the captain from re-entering the cockpit.

    All 150 people aboard the aircraft died in the crash.

    Police have carried out thorough searches of Lubitz's flat in Dusseldorf and the home he shared with parents in the historic town of Montabaur.

    For several hours investigators took away cases and boxes from both addresses. In Dusseldorf police said that they were "looking for clues as to what the co-pilot's motivation might have been".

    In Montabaur neighbours reacted with disbelief when the heard of Lubitz's involvement.

    One man, who did not want to be named, said that he had known the pilot since childhood.

    He told Sky News: "I cannot imagine that he has done it with intention.

    "This does not fit in this picture I have of him. It is a very upright family, very helpful and I cannot understand what has happened.

    "I knew the children when they were small boys."

    Lubitz grew up dreaming of becoming a pilot.

    As a teenager he gained his glider's licence after training with LSC Westerwald flying club in his hometown.

    Klaus Radke, the chairman of the gliding club, said: "Over the time he was with us he was a very calm, responsible man. 

    1/29

    1. Gallery: Rescue Teams Resume Search After Plane Crash

      German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (3R) arrives near the crash site of Germanwings Airbus A320 near Seyne-les-Alpes, France

    Gendarmerie and French mountain rescue teams fly in a helicopter near the site of the Germanwings plane crash near the French Alps

    ]]>

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    'Chilling Revelations' Of Plane's Final Moments

    The co-pilot of the Germanwings plane that crashed in the Alps intentionally sent the jet into its doomed descent.

    Here are the details of the Airbus A320's final moments that emerged at a news conference given by Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin.

    :: Mr Robin said it appears the co-pilot, who was a German national and who had never been flagged as a terrorist, appeared to want to "destroy the plane".

    :: Prior to the cabin being locked, there was "normal" conversation between the pilot and co-pilot for the first 20 minutes of the flight, which had taken off from Barcelona in Spain bound for Dusseldorf in Germany.

    :: The co-pilot's responses, although initially courteous, became "curt" when the pilot started the mid-flight briefing on the planned landing of the plane.

    :: The pilot is heard asking the co-pilot to take over and the sound of a chair being pushed back and a door being closed is heard.

    :: The co-pilot was left on his own in charge of the plane, and it is then that he uses the flight monitoring system to start the descent of the plane.

    :: The co-pilot did not say a word once the pilot left the cockpit. "It was absolute silence in the cockpit," said Mr Robin.

    :: All that could be heard is the co-pilot's breathing. Mr Robin said the co-pilot was breathing normally. "It wasn't the breath of somebody who was struggling. He didn't say a single word. Total silence."

    :: Several cries from the pilot can be heard, asking to get in.

    :: He identifies himself through the intercom system, but there is no answer. He knocks on the door and asks for it to be opened, but again there is no answer.

    :: Pounding could be heard on the door during the final minutes as alarms sounded. Finally the sound of an impact is heard.

    :: The 144 passengers only realised at the last moment what was happening. Screams were only heard in the last moments of the recording, before impact. Mr Robin said: "We only hear screams at the very end. Death was instant. It hit the mountain at 700km (430mph) an hour."

    :: Several calls from the control tower to the plane went unanswered, as did communications from other aircraft in the area.

    :: The plane could have glided before the moment of impact. There was no distress signal, no Mayday and no answer despite numerous calls to the plane.

    :: The co-pilot, who has been named as 28-year-old Andreas Lubitz, had a few hundred hours flying time on the aircraft.

    :: There is no indication the crash is a terrorist act, Mr Robin said: "But obviously we will see how we will proceed."

    :: Pressed on the co-pilot's religion, Mr Robin said: "I don't think this is where this lies. I don't think we will get any answers there."

    :: The bodies of the victims are being retrieved by helicopter and put on stretchers and taken to a nearby unit where post-mortems are being carried out and DNA testing undertaken. The process could take more than a week.


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    Yemen's Civil War Threatens Global Stability

    Yemen's Civil War Threatens Global Stability

    We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

    Yemen's civil war has just gone international, officially. Saudi Arabian jets are now pounding Shia militia bases housing covert agents from Tehran.

    This is the latest round in the rapidly evolving regional war between Shia and Sunni.

    It threatens to drag most of the Gulf monarchies plus the junta-ruled Egypt into a campaign against Houthi hill tribesmen who have threatened to overrun Yemen, traditionally a Sunni nation.

    The Houthis are Zaydi Shia, unlike the Iranian Twelvers - but no matter - they're the new bogeymen of the region.

    "What is happening today will change the political geography of the region," said Riad Yassin, Yemen's foreign minister.

    1/15

    1. Gallery: Yemen: Aftermath Of Airstrikes By Saudi Arabia And Gulf Allies

      People search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by an air strike near Sana'a Airport in Yemen. Continue through for more images

    ]]>
  • ]]>
  • ]]>
  • ]]>

  • "If the Houthis manage to take full control of Yemen and eventually the Iranians will take full control of the region for at least 4,000 years to come."

    That is very much the view of most of the Gulf monarchies, most notably the Saudis.

    "I think this is more than just an extension of the proxy war," said Firas Abi Ali, chief Middle East analysis at IHS Country Risk.

    "I think this is an evolution of the Shia, Sunni conflict in the region from being a proxy region to one that actually involves the sponsor."

    In effect the Iranian agenda is to encircle the Saudis and their allies, according to Tehran's critics.

    This means creating chaos on Saudi Arabia's borders while Jeddah continues to be part of an international coalition that is fighting Islamic State (IS) to the north.

    Iran is also fighting IS, and this week coalition jets were once again in action providing air support for Shia militia and Iranian revolutionary guards during the attack to dislodge IS from Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

    But in Syria, Iran backs the Shia regime of Bashar al Assad and the Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside his forces,

    Iran has also been accused to fomenting Shia unrest in Bahrain.

    Some 15% of Saudis are Shia and the monarchy fears that they could be used in combination with Houthis to destabilise the west of the country while Iran continues its efforts to establish as "Shia crescent" across the Arab Middle East.

    But it's not all a Shia conspiracy.

    Al Qaeda has a powerful presence in the Yemen, where tribal conflicts and rivalries have usually dominated the sectarian divide.

    Which brings us to the role of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, a Sunni.

    Units loyal to him have been fighting in alliance with the Houthi - he managed to rule for three decades and fought three wars against the Houthis.

    Now his alliance with them is being seen as one of tactical  convenience only.

    The aim of internationalising the conflict, though, is to prevent this alliance from gaining any more ground.

    Not least because if the Houthis prevail in Yemen, Tehran would have a bridgehead for choking off trade through the Gulf of Aden - much as Iran could throttle oil supplies through the Arabian or Persian Gulf.

    Small wonder that Washington is helping in the fight against the Houthis with intelligence and logistics.

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    • Yemen's Civil War Threatens Global Stability

    We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

    Yemen's civil war has just gone international, officially. Saudi Arabian jets are now pounding Shia militia bases housing covert agents from Tehran.

    This is the latest round in the rapidly evolving regional war between Shia and Sunni.

    It threatens to drag most of the Gulf monarchies plus the junta-ruled Egypt into a campaign against Houthi hill tribesmen who have threatened to overrun Yemen, traditionally a Sunni nation.

    The Houthis are Zaydi Shia, unlike the Iranian Twelvers - but no matter - they're the new bogeymen of the region.

    "What is happening today will change the political geography of the region," said Riad Yassin, Yemen's foreign minister.

    1/15

    1. Gallery: Yemen: Aftermath Of Airstrikes By Saudi Arabia And Gulf Allies

      People search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by an air strike near Sana'a Airport in Yemen. Continue through for more images

    ]]>

  • ]]>

  • ]]>

  • ]]>

  • "If the Houthis manage to take full control of Yemen and eventually the Iranians will take full control of the region for at least 4,000 years to come."

    That is very much the view of most of the Gulf monarchies, most notably the Saudis.

    "I think this is more than just an extension of the proxy war," said Firas Abi Ali, chief Middle East analysis at IHS Country Risk.

    "I think this is an evolution of the Shia, Sunni conflict in the region from being a proxy region to one that actually involves the sponsor."

    In effect the Iranian agenda is to encircle the Saudis and their allies, according to Tehran's critics.

    This means creating chaos on Saudi Arabia's borders while Jeddah continues to be part of an international coalition that is fighting Islamic State (IS) to the north.

    Iran is also fighting IS, and this week coalition jets were once again in action providing air support for Shia militia and Iranian revolutionary guards during the attack to dislodge IS from Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

    But in Syria, Iran backs the Shia regime of Bashar al Assad and the Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside his forces,

    Iran has also been accused to fomenting Shia unrest in Bahrain.

    Some 15% of Saudis are Shia and the monarchy fears that they could be used in combination with Houthis to destabilise the west of the country while Iran continues its efforts to establish as "Shia crescent" across the Arab Middle East.

    But it's not all a Shia conspiracy.

    Al Qaeda has a powerful presence in the Yemen, where tribal conflicts and rivalries have usually dominated the sectarian divide.

    Which brings us to the role of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, a Sunni.

    Units loyal to him have been fighting in alliance with the Houthi - he managed to rule for three decades and fought three wars against the Houthis.

    Now his alliance with them is being seen as one of tactical  convenience only.

    The aim of internationalising the conflict, though, is to prevent this alliance from gaining any more ground.

    Not least because if the Houthis prevail in Yemen, Tehran would have a bridgehead for choking off trade through the Gulf of Aden - much as Iran could throttle oil supplies through the Arabian or Persian Gulf.

    Small wonder that Washington is helping in the fight against the Houthis with intelligence and logistics.

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    'Wonderful And Caring': Crash Victims Mourned

    Written By Unknown on Kamis, 26 Maret 2015 | 14.59

    'Wonderful And Caring': Crash Victims Mourned

    We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

    Relatives of those killed in the French Alps plane crash have been speaking of their devastation.

    The Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf on Tuesday, killing all 150 people on board, including three Britons.

    The 144 passengers and six crew were from more than a dozen countries, mainly Germany and Spain.

    The British victims were 28-year-old Paul Andrew Bramley, Martyn Matthews, 50, and seven-month-old Julian Pracz-Bandres who was travelling with his mother.

    Marina Bandres Lopez Belio, 37, was originally from the Spanish Pyrenees but living in Manchester.

    1/11

    1. Gallery: Alps Plane Crash: The Victims

      Maria Radner, Oleg Bryjak and Greig and Carol Friday

    Martyn Matthews, of Wolverhampton, with his family. Mr Matthews, 50, was travelling on business for the German automotive manufacturer Huf

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  • Paul Andrew Bramley, 28, originally from Hull. He was studying hospitality and hotel management in Lucerne, Switzerland

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  • Filmmaker Marina Bandres, who came from Jaca in the Spanish Pyrenees and lived in Manchester, was travelling on the plane with her baby Julian Pracz-Bandres

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  • Sixteen exchange students from the same German school were also on board the plane

    ]]>

  • Among the other victims were 58-year-old American Yvonne Selke and her daughter Emily from Nokesville, Virginia.

    A statement said the family was "deeply saddened" adding the pair were "two wonderful, caring, amazing people who meant so much to so many".

    Emily Selke, 22, was a graduate of Drexel University in Philadelphia.

    The university said: "Drexel is deeply saddened to hear about the tragic loss of alumna Emily Selke and her mother.

    "Emily graduated with honors from Drexel in 2013 and was a music industry major in Drexel's Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends."

    The victims also include 16 pupils and two teachers from a school in Haltern am See in western Germany.

    1/9

    1. Gallery: School Lost 16 Pupils In Crash

      The main high school in the western German town of Haltern am See is mourning the loss of 16 students and two teachers who died in the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps

    A memorial of candles and flowers has been set up at the front of the Joseph-Koenig school

    ]]>

  • They had been returning from a week-long exchange at a school near Barcelona.

    "Our school will never be the same again," the school's headmaster, Ulrich Wessel, said.

    Two opera singers were also among the 72 German citizens on the flight.

    Maria Radner was returning home with her husband and baby after performing in Wagner's Siegfried, according to Barcelona's opera house Gran Teatre del Liceu.

    Also killed was Kazakh-German opera singer Oleg Bryjak, who had appeared in the same opera.

    There were two Australians on board - a mother and her adult son who were on a European holiday together.

    The family of Carol and Greig Friday said they are "crippled with sadness" at their loss.

    They said 68-year-old Carol was a loving mother-of-two and Greig, 28, was an exceptional brother.

    A statement issued on behalf of the family said: "Our family is in deep disbelief and crippled with sadness and would like to ask for privacy.

    1/30

    1. Gallery: Europe Mourns Alps Crash Victims

      Germanwings employees gather outside the company headquarters to observe a minute of silence in Cologne Bonn airport

    Germanwings employees place light candles

    ]]>

  • "They were both extraordinary and exceptional people who were loved by many, who they loved in return. They will forever be with us in our hearts, memories and dreams."

    Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

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    1. Pilot Locked Out Of Crash Jet's Cockpit: Report
    2. Challenge Facing Search Teams At Alps Crash Site
    3. High Stakes As Leaders Face Live Showdown
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    5. Sacked Clarkson Could Face Police Action

    • 'Wonderful And Caring': Crash Victims Mourned

    We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

    Relatives of those killed in the French Alps plane crash have been speaking of their devastation.

    The Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf on Tuesday, killing all 150 people on board, including three Britons.

    The 144 passengers and six crew were from more than a dozen countries, mainly Germany and Spain.

    The British victims were 28-year-old Paul Andrew Bramley, Martyn Matthews, 50, and seven-month-old Julian Pracz-Bandres who was travelling with his mother.

    Marina Bandres Lopez Belio, 37, was originally from the Spanish Pyrenees but living in Manchester.

    1/11

    1. Gallery: Alps Plane Crash: The Victims

      Maria Radner, Oleg Bryjak and Greig and Carol Friday

    Martyn Matthews, of Wolverhampton, with his family. Mr Matthews, 50, was travelling on business for the German automotive manufacturer Huf

    ]]>

  • Paul Andrew Bramley, 28, originally from Hull. He was studying hospitality and hotel management in Lucerne, Switzerland

    ]]>

  • Filmmaker Marina Bandres, who came from Jaca in the Spanish Pyrenees and lived in Manchester, was travelling on the plane with her baby Julian Pracz-Bandres

    ]]>

  • Sixteen exchange students from the same German school were also on board the plane

    ]]>

  • Among the other victims were 58-year-old American Yvonne Selke and her daughter Emily from Nokesville, Virginia.

    A statement said the family was "deeply saddened" adding the pair were "two wonderful, caring, amazing people who meant so much to so many".

    Emily Selke, 22, was a graduate of Drexel University in Philadelphia.

    The university said: "Drexel is deeply saddened to hear about the tragic loss of alumna Emily Selke and her mother.

    "Emily graduated with honors from Drexel in 2013 and was a music industry major in Drexel's Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends."

    The victims also include 16 pupils and two teachers from a school in Haltern am See in western Germany.

    1/9

    1. Gallery: School Lost 16 Pupils In Crash

      The main high school in the western German town of Haltern am See is mourning the loss of 16 students and two teachers who died in the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps

    A memorial of candles and flowers has been set up at the front of the Joseph-Koenig school

    ]]>

  • They had been returning from a week-long exchange at a school near Barcelona.

    "Our school will never be the same again," the school's headmaster, Ulrich Wessel, said.

    Two opera singers were also among the 72 German citizens on the flight.

    Maria Radner was returning home with her husband and baby after performing in Wagner's Siegfried, according to Barcelona's opera house Gran Teatre del Liceu.

    Also killed was Kazakh-German opera singer Oleg Bryjak, who had appeared in the same opera.

    There were two Australians on board - a mother and her adult son who were on a European holiday together.

    The family of Carol and Greig Friday said they are "crippled with sadness" at their loss.

    They said 68-year-old Carol was a loving mother-of-two and Greig, 28, was an exceptional brother.

    A statement issued on behalf of the family said: "Our family is in deep disbelief and crippled with sadness and would like to ask for privacy.

    1/30

    1. Gallery: Europe Mourns Alps Crash Victims

      Germanwings employees gather outside the company headquarters to observe a minute of silence in Cologne Bonn airport

    Germanwings employees place light candles

    ]]>

  • "They were both extraordinary and exceptional people who were loved by many, who they loved in return. They will forever be with us in our hearts, memories and dreams."

    Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

    Top Stories

    1. Pilot Locked Out Of Crash Jet's Cockpit: Report
    2. Challenge Facing Search Teams At Alps Crash Site
    3. High Stakes As Leaders Face Live Showdown
    4. Sky Experts' Questions For Cameron And Miliband
    5. Sacked Clarkson Could Face Police Action


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    Challenge Facing Search Teams At Alps Crash Site

    By Katie Stallard, Sky News Correspondent, French Alps

    The crash site is located in a remote mountain range in the southern Alps. It's extremely difficult to access - through treacherous terrain, and at altitude.

    Search and rescue teams are using helicopters to transport workers and equipment to the scene.

    Sky News has managed to reach the area by trekking eight hours through the mountains on foot.

    The journey involved negotiating sections of dense undergrowth and steep uphill climbs, and was only possible with the help of an experienced local mountaineer.

    The wreckage is concentrated in an isolated ravine at an altitude of around 2,000 metres.

    From a vantage point overlooking the scene we could see debris from the Germanwings plane, including what appeared to be part of the landing gear.

    We saw bright yellow life jackets scattered across the hillside.

    Amongst the dark rocks of the steep ravine are hundreds, perhaps thousands of tiny fragments - the last traces of the 150 lives that ended here.

    Emergency workers have secured the site - to preserve any possible forensic evidence, and the dignity of those who were on board.

    We watched police helicopters working in relay until darkness fell, flying back and forth to the scene.

    This will be a long and extremely challenging operation, but all those involved understand the importance of finding the answers the families so desperately need.

    1/11

    1. Gallery: Alps Plane Crash: The Victims

      Maria Radner, Oleg Bryjak and Greig and Carol Friday

    Martyn Matthews, of Wolverhampton, with his family. Mr Matthews, 50, was travelling on business for the German automotive manufacturer Huf

    ]]>

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    Pilot Locked Out Of Crash Jet's Cockpit: Report

    Pilot Locked Out Of Crash Jet's Cockpit: Report

    We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

    One of the pilots of a jet that crashed in the Alps killing all 150 people on board was locked out of the cockpit before it started its descent, according to US media.

    Investigators have not revealed details of conversations on the cockpit voice recorder black box recovered from the crash site.

    But the New York Times quoted a senior military source involved in the probe as saying one of the two Germanwings pilots appeared to have left the cockpit and then been unable to get back in.

    The source said: "The guy outside is knocking lightly on the door and there is no answer. 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."

    1/11

    1. Gallery: Alps Plane Crash: The Victims

      Maria Radner, Oleg Bryjak and Greig and Carol Friday

    Martyn Matthews, of Wolverhampton, with his family. Mr Matthews, 50, was travelling on business for the German automotive manufacturer Huf

    ]]>

  • Paul Andrew Bramley, 28, originally from Hull. He was studying hospitality and hotel management in Lucerne, Switzerland

    ]]>

  • Filmmaker Marina Bandres, who came from Jaca in the Spanish Pyrenees and lived in Manchester, was travelling on the plane with her baby Julian Pracz-Bandres

    ]]>

  • Sixteen exchange students from the same German school were also on board the plane

    ]]>

  • The official added: "We don't know yet the reason why one of the guys went out.

    "But what is sure is that at the very end of the flight, the other pilot is alone and does not open the door."

    The source said conversation between the pilots during the early part of the flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf had been "very smooth, very cool."

    In January a Delta Air Lines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a pilot was accidentally locked out of the cockpit.

    The door malfunctioned leaving the first officer to land the plane at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

    Cockpit doors have been reinforced since the September 11 attacks in 2001, to stop intruders from reaching the crew and controls.

    The New York Times report emerged after a bus carrying the first relatives to the area where their loved ones lost their lives left Barcelona on Wednesday evening.

    The group of 14 will meet with other family members who chose to fly from Barcelona to Marseille this morning.

    The crash investigation is likely to focus on why there was no distress call from the plane, which went into a slow descent shortly after reaching its 38,000ft cruising altitude and continued along its flight path for some eight minutes before smashing into mountains with such force that it was "pulverised", according to one official.

    Theories include the complete incapacity of the cockpit crew, possibly after a windscreen blow-out.

    Asked about reports that the second black box - the flight data recorder which indicates how an aircraft's systems were working - had been found but was too badly damaged to be of use, a French air investigation bureau spokesman said this was not the case.

    "We have not located the second black box," he said.

    Earlier, Germanwings parent company Lufthansa said the plane, piloted by two experienced captains, was "technically flawless", while the firm's CEO Carsten Spohr, himself a pilot, described the crash as "inexplicable".

    Lufthansa said: "We cannot comprehend how a technically flawless airplane steered by two experienced pilots could encounter such a situation at cruising altitude.

    "All of us at Lufthansa are working to ensure that such an incident will never occur again. We cannot believe that this has happened. We are doing everything to support the families."

    A spokesman for the French air investigation bureau, the BEA, said that "usable" material had been extracted from the black box cockpit voice recorder found at the crash site.

    He said it covered the entire flight but would not say what conversations, if any, between the pilots had been captured on the recording, nor what language they had been conducted in.

    Three Britons - Martyn Matthews, 50, Paul Bramley, 26, and Marina Bandres Lopez Belio, 37 -  were among 150 on the Airbus A320 plane to have lost their lives.

    While some nationalities were still to be verified, Germanwings said the dead included 72 Germans, 35 Spaniards and two Australians.

    Two Americans are also known to have been on the plane

    Other countries with passengers on the flight included Iran, Israel, Japan, Denmark, Belgium and Colombia.

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    1. Challenge Facing Search Teams At Alps Crash Site
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    5. Sacked Clarkson Could Face Police Action

    • Pilot Locked Out Of Crash Jet's Cockpit: Report

    We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

    One of the pilots of a jet that crashed in the Alps killing all 150 people on board was locked out of the cockpit before it started its descent, according to US media.

    Investigators have not revealed details of conversations on the cockpit voice recorder black box recovered from the crash site.

    But the New York Times quoted a senior military source involved in the probe as saying one of the two Germanwings pilots appeared to have left the cockpit and then been unable to get back in.

    The source said: "The guy outside is knocking lightly on the door and there is no answer. 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."

    1/11

    1. Gallery: Alps Plane Crash: The Victims

      Maria Radner, Oleg Bryjak and Greig and Carol Friday

    Martyn Matthews, of Wolverhampton, with his family. Mr Matthews, 50, was travelling on business for the German automotive manufacturer Huf

    ]]>

  • Paul Andrew Bramley, 28, originally from Hull. He was studying hospitality and hotel management in Lucerne, Switzerland

    ]]>

  • Filmmaker Marina Bandres, who came from Jaca in the Spanish Pyrenees and lived in Manchester, was travelling on the plane with her baby Julian Pracz-Bandres

    ]]>

  • Sixteen exchange students from the same German school were also on board the plane

    ]]>

  • The official added: "We don't know yet the reason why one of the guys went out.

    "But what is sure is that at the very end of the flight, the other pilot is alone and does not open the door."

    The source said conversation between the pilots during the early part of the flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf had been "very smooth, very cool."

    In January a Delta Air Lines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a pilot was accidentally locked out of the cockpit.

    The door malfunctioned leaving the first officer to land the plane at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

    Cockpit doors have been reinforced since the September 11 attacks in 2001, to stop intruders from reaching the crew and controls.

    The New York Times report emerged after a bus carrying the first relatives to the area where their loved ones lost their lives left Barcelona on Wednesday evening.

    The group of 14 will meet with other family members who chose to fly from Barcelona to Marseille this morning.

    The crash investigation is likely to focus on why there was no distress call from the plane, which went into a slow descent shortly after reaching its 38,000ft cruising altitude and continued along its flight path for some eight minutes before smashing into mountains with such force that it was "pulverised", according to one official.

    Theories include the complete incapacity of the cockpit crew, possibly after a windscreen blow-out.

    Asked about reports that the second black box - the flight data recorder which indicates how an aircraft's systems were working - had been found but was too badly damaged to be of use, a French air investigation bureau spokesman said this was not the case.

    "We have not located the second black box," he said.

    Earlier, Germanwings parent company Lufthansa said the plane, piloted by two experienced captains, was "technically flawless", while the firm's CEO Carsten Spohr, himself a pilot, described the crash as "inexplicable".

    Lufthansa said: "We cannot comprehend how a technically flawless airplane steered by two experienced pilots could encounter such a situation at cruising altitude.

    "All of us at Lufthansa are working to ensure that such an incident will never occur again. We cannot believe that this has happened. We are doing everything to support the families."

    A spokesman for the French air investigation bureau, the BEA, said that "usable" material had been extracted from the black box cockpit voice recorder found at the crash site.

    He said it covered the entire flight but would not say what conversations, if any, between the pilots had been captured on the recording, nor what language they had been conducted in.

    Three Britons - Martyn Matthews, 50, Paul Bramley, 26, and Marina Bandres Lopez Belio, 37 -  were among 150 on the Airbus A320 plane to have lost their lives.

    While some nationalities were still to be verified, Germanwings said the dead included 72 Germans, 35 Spaniards and two Australians.

    Two Americans are also known to have been on the plane

    Other countries with passengers on the flight included Iran, Israel, Japan, Denmark, Belgium and Colombia.

    Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

    Top Stories

    1. Challenge Facing Search Teams At Alps Crash Site
    2. High Stakes As Leaders Face Live Showdown
    3. Sky Experts' Questions For Cameron And Miliband
    4. 'Wonderful And Caring': Crash Victims Mourned
    5. Sacked Clarkson Could Face Police Action


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