My brain can't process these horrible news

[Words4theWorld]

I don’t know how well news from my part of the world travel around, so here is a quick summary:

Two days ago, on Tuesday, a flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf in Germany crashed in the French alps. On board were 6 crew members and 144 passengers, among them 16 students and two teachers returning from a student exchange.

If this isn’t horrible enough, today’s news leave me absolutely speechless: The flight’s voice recorder showed that when the pilot of the plane left the cockpit midflight, the co-pilot deliberately took the plane into a descent, finally crashing it into a mountain. The pilot frantically tried to re-enter the cockpit, but as the co-pilot was not responding to the interphone system or his knocking, there was no means for him to do anything*.

At the time being, there are no indications that what the co-pilot did was a terrorist attack. Which means, that he decided to take his own life. And this is, what my brain can’t process. I can see why terrorists do this, I can also see why someone might want to take his own life. But why, for f... sake, did he have to take 149 people with him?! Whywhywhywhywhy? I just can't understand this ...

I’m sorry for posting this sad story, but I had to get this off my chest.

* I’ve heard in the news that it seems to be a regulation in the USA that there have to be two people in the cockpit at all times. If for example the pilot leaves the cockpit, another crew-member will take his place until he returns. But it seems that none of the European airlines have adapted this regulation so far.

[morgana]

Happened a couple of years ago in Indonesia, too. I want to say it was a Singapore Airlines flight. The pilot was in financial trouble; he lured the copilot out of the cockpit, locked the door, and took the plane down. Ninety-some dead.

Selfish schmucks . . .

[Tama]

I don't get it. Why bring so many people down with you? So you'll be remembered for all time as a selfish asshole? Did anyone survive that pilot's suicide method?

[Marmalady]

I can't process it either. It was bad enough when I heard the news of the crash, then saw the news coverage afterwards of the children's schoolmates standing outside their school, so silent and stunned, of the neighbours of those who had died speaking about them ... but when I heard today that it appeared to be deliberate, no, I can't, my mind sort of shies away like a frightened horse, that's the only way I can describe it.

[NorthernZel]

I don't get it. Why bring so many people down with you? So you'll be remembered for all time as a selfish asshole? Did anyone survive that pilot's suicide method?

IIRC, one time a similar thing happened (15-ish years ago) it was discovered that the pilot was in financial trouble and wanted it to look like a tragic accident so his family would be eligible for his life insurance.

[MoonCat]

We have heard that news in the US. It's horrible. I'm not looking forward to the almost-inevitable claims by the pilot's family that he would never have done it deliberately, suicide is against his religion, he was not mentally unstable, etc., etc. I know it's hard to believe that someone you love could do this, but you never know what's really going on inside of a person's head.

My sympathies to the families and friends of those who were killed.

[Chromatix]

Just FYI: according to a remarkably detailed explanation by the BBC, the captain would have been able to re-enter the cockpit by entering a security code on the intercom panel - *unless* the copilot held a particular spring-loaded switch in the "lock" position. Not only the captain but the flight attendants would have known that security code.

In other words, this wasn't simply a case of the copilot becoming incapacitated.

[Barracuda]

Not trying to get this sent to Fratching, but I came across this : According to a German news site, the copilot was a recent convert to radical Islam. http://speisa.com/modules/articles/i...-to-islam.html

[Words4theWorld]

Not trying to get this sent to Fratching, but I came across this : According to a German news site, the copilot was a recent convert to radical Islam. http://speisa.com/modules/articles/i...-to-islam.html

Please, please, please, don't believe anything this site says if you can't find proof for it through another (respectable) source. I would put them on the lowest shelf of journalism, probably even below tabloids selling stories about women having alien-babies.
So far no information have been released by the investigators that would show any islamistic influences. And I'm sure they would do pretty much right away, as that's much easier to process than what the current investigations point at.

The news just stated that investigators are still investigating the co-pilot's background, especially checking if he had psychological problems.

Did anyone survive that pilot's suicide method?

The method and site of the crash pretty much excluded that right away. The crash site is pretty secluded up in the mountains and they have to fly all the material and everybody up there by helicopter.

[fireheart]

The Australian media is currently pointing towards it being psychological issues (guy was suicidal for reasons unknown) rather than any terrorist drama.

[Words4theWorld]

The Australian media is currently pointing towards it being psychological issues (guy was suicidal for reasons unknown) rather than any terrorist drama.

Yes, I can confirm that from the news coverage over here. They just said that investigators found a torn sick leave slip*, that the co-pilot obviously didn't pass on. Though they didn't say for what he should have been on medical leave for.

* Is that what you call it, when your doc attests that you are sick and should stay at home for x days?

[RootedPhoenix]

*hugs all around*

Medical leave and sick leave are both accepted terms, I think.

[Chromatix]

The reports I'm reading say:

1) He had a severe depressive episode during his pilot training, but his "suitability was re-established" subsequently, which is why he was allowed to complete his training and become a commercial transport-class pilot.

2) The illness for which he was recently treated was apparently of a physical rather than mental type. However, he appears to have been deliberately concealing this illness from his employer (the airline).

3) Lufthansa and several other European (and British) airlines are implementing the "rule of two" procedures ASAP. This means that if there are two pilots (as is usual on a short-haul flight), and one of them needs to leave the cockpit temporarily, one of the flight attendants needs to come in instead, to ensure that there are at least two crew members in the cockpit at all times.

[bhskittykatt]

This story is so heartbreaking and so disturbing. I feel so bad for the family and friends of those who were lost. Also the investigators; I can only imagine how hard it would be to have to analyze that recording and do not envy those who have that job.

[fireheart]

The reports I'm reading say:

1) He had a severe depressive episode during his pilot training, but his "suitability was re-established" subsequently, which is why he was allowed to complete his training and become a commercial transport-class pilot.

2) The illness for which he was recently treated was apparently of a physical rather than mental type. However, he appears to have been deliberately concealing this illness from his employer (the airline).

3) Lufthansa and several other European (and British) airlines are implementing the "rule of two" procedures ASAP. This means that if there are two pilots (as is usual on a short-haul flight), and one of them needs to leave the cockpit temporarily, one of the flight attendants needs to come in instead, to ensure that there are at least two crew members in the cockpit at all times.

1) Same here, although now they're leaning towards him having a physical illness too (which wouldn't surprise me to be honest)

3) Australian airlines have done the same thing. Although to be honest, it's kind of a knee-jerk reaction-if you have someone else in the cockpit and the flight attendant is not particularly capable of overpowering a rogue pilot/copilot, what's to stop the rogue copilot/pilot from repeating this? Yes I know there's medical testing, but speaking from experience, it is possible to hide a psychiatric issue with practice.