Germanwings Flight 4U-9525 – France

On 24 March 2015, an Airbus A320 operated by Germanwings, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, was en route from Barcelona, Spain, to Dusseldorf, Germany, with 144 passengers and six crew on board. Shortly after the aircraft reached cruising altitude it began to descend. No distress call was emitted and attempts by air traffic controllers to contact the aircraft were unsuccessful. Around ten minutes after the descent was initiated the aircraft impacted the mountainous terrain of the French Alps at high speed. Tragically, all on board were killed.

On 3 March 2016 the French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA) published their final report into this tragedy. As has been widely reported prior to the publication of this report, the data recovered from the Cockpit Voice Recover (CVR) and Flight Data Recover (FDR) indicate that the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, deliberately crashed the aircraft.

The report outlines the co-pilot’s serious mental illness, which dates back at least as far as August 2008. In July 2009 Lufthansa refused renewal of his medical certificate due to his illness then, following treatment, he regained a medical certificate that contained a waiver because of a severe depressive episode. The certificate contained a provision that it would become invalid should he suffer a relapse. In December 2014 Lubitz started to show symptoms consistent with a psychotic depressive episode and was prescribed anti-depressants. In February 2015 he was diagnosed with a psychosomatic disorder and on 10 March was recommended psychiatric hospital treatment. It would appear Lubitz concealed his illness from his employer, and none of the doctors and psychiatrists that treated him informed the airline due to the very strict German rules surrounding patient confidentiality.

It is clear that Lubitz should never have been allowed to fly a commercial passenger jet given his mental state. The aviation experts at Irwin Mitchell consider that a crucial opportunity to prevent him from qualifying as a pilot was missed when Lubitz attended the Lufthansa Flight School in Arizona, USA in 2010. With his mental health issues his performance as a student pilot should have come under extra scrutiny to determine if he was suitable and safe to be an airliner pilot. As the Flight School allowed Lubitz to qualify as a pilot, Irwin Mitchell has formed an attorney group with US and German law firms to bring a large group action against the flight school in Arizona.

If you would like to speak in confidence to an expert regarding this accident, or any other aviation incident you were involved in, please contact a member of the aviation team on 0800 056 4110. The team will be able to advise you on the accident, the relevant law and the parties who may be liable.

Call us for a free initial consultation

0800 056 4110

Or we can call you back at a time of your choice

Phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year

Freephone

0800 056 4110

Prefer not to call?

Use our form

Your name*

Your email*

Your phone number*

How can we help?*

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.

Your Questions Answered

Our Offices

Our offices are located in major cities throughout the UK and have excellent transport links.

Enter your postcode to find your nearest office.

Our Locations

About Irwin Mitchell

Contact Us

Give us a ring to speak to a member of our team in the strictest confidence. Or you can fill out our contact form and we'll ring you back.

Our phone lines are open 24/7, 365 days a year

Get a call back

Fill in your details below and we'll be in touch as soon as possible