Germanwings A320 on BCN-DUS flight crash near Nice, France

[Evan]

There is presently a somewhat misguided debate simmering about whether we should be 'vilifying' people with depression. Certainly we should not, but the debate is misguided by ignoring the special context of airline piloting. This is a profession that simply can't tolerate certain risks. At the very least, employing a pilot with a history of 'serious depressive episodes' should require a close, ongoing cooperative vigilance involving both the pilot and anyone providing him with treatment or therapy (especially involving medication). But I'm not even favoring that. I just see airline piloting as an elite profession, like professional sports, where a certain reliable mental performance threshold is required. A lot of people would like to be pilots but cannot because of other physical ailments. A pilot with a history of 'serious' depression must be carefully established as having been 'cured' for a very long period of time, without remissions. From my experience, very few people suffering from 'serious' depression can ever be entirely 'cured' at this point in history. They can lead high-functioning, rewarding lives and achieve greatness in many fields in spite of their latent depression, but airline pilot just crosses a line of common sense in my opinion.

[Observer]

It seems that Mr. Lubitz informed Lufthansa about his medical condition in 2009

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/lufhansa-knew-of-co-pilots-previous-severe-depression-in-2009/2015/03/31/4db5387e-d7ab-11e4-bf0b-f648b95a6488_story.html

[TeeVee]

sense and sensibility.

http://www.flyertalk.com/story/crewed-talk-how-why-its-important-to-keep-perspective-after-the-germanwings-tragedy.html

[Schwartz]

I find it interesting that no one seems interested if he was on SSRI's. These have long been associated with suicidal or homicidal behaviour. Especially risky is the transition to a new drug or a change in dosage.

[Timmerich]

Why the hell should I put on the oxygen mask when I want to let the plane crash?

http://www.focus.de/panorama/welt/protokoll-zum-germanwings-crash-andreas-l-trug-sauerstoffmaske-so-liefen-die-letzten-minuten-von-flug-4u9252_id_4583658.html

[brianw999]

Why the hell should I put on the oxygen mask when I want to let the plane crash?

http://www.focus.de/panorama/welt/pr...d_4583658.html

Standard procedure when one pilot leaves the cockpit as far as I know. To not do this would raise a comment from the pilot.

[Jason]

Standard procedure when one pilot leaves the cockpit as far as I know. To not do this would raise a comment from the pilot.

Why should he leave the mask on when the door is finally locked?

[Peter Kesternich]

Why should he leave the mask on when the door is finally locked?

Why not? I'm not sure we should assume that there was anything rational about his behaviour in those final minutes.

[Evan]

Why should he leave the mask on when the door is finally locked?

Always, no sometimes, think it's me but you know I know when it's a dream I think I know I mean a "Yes" but it's all wrong that is I think I disagree.

[3WE]

Always, no sometimes, think it's me but you know I know when it's a dream I think I know I mean a "Yes" but it's all wrong that is I think I disagree.

NO!

The mask was placed on the floor by the Russian-Polish conspirators to throw off the investigation. They also moved the mountain after the crash to make it look like it hit the mountain.

[Gabriel]

Not surprisingly...

The French Gendarmerie is unaware of any video (memory card) recovered from the crash site as claimed by some French and German media.

[Evan]

Not surprisingly...

I'm be pretty surprised if they haven't recovered some memory cards from the remains. Even if a phone shatters, I think the card will likely remain intact. The thing I find hard to believe is that anybody during those last moments would think to make a video. Have we become so removed from our real-life experiences that we now make iPhone videos of our own impending doom?

If it is true, I hope someone has the good sense to destroy it.

[elaw]

Actually in some cases I would disagree!

If someone is in an airplane they know is crashing (or a sinking boat or other such circumstance) I can think of two reasons they might make a video or audio recording.

First is a personal message to their loved ones. Such recordings should *never* be released to the public, except possibly if the persons to whom they are addressed authorize it.

But I can see another reason someone might make such a recording: to document their experience so others (not specific others but "the world") can understand it. If it's clear a recording has been made for that purpose, I think not releasing it would dishonor the person who made the recording.

[Arrow]

The thing I find hard to believe is that anybody during those last moments would think to make a video. Have we become so removed from our real-life experiences that we now make iPhone videos of our own impending doom?

Actually, the rationale may be more forward-looking than you propose. My wife and I took a MyAir flight from Paris to Venice in '07 and between the interior wear-through of a number of appointments of the aircraft and its unusually noisy engines, I made a video recording in case the worst should happen.

Thought that should the worst happen, it might help the accident investigation team

Arrow

[Evan]

I suppose I need to point out here the HUGE difference between making a video for the possiblity that something might happen (a sort of farewell message), an actual farewell message if you believe you are going down, and a video of other people in the cabin experiencing the horror of a situation that you yourself are also part of. I can understand the first two scenarios but the third is just deranged (which is why I doubt the authenticity of the reported video).