The co-pilot of ‘deliberately’ downed Germanwings flight RU9525 has been named by officials as Andreas Guenter Lubitz.
Mr Lubitz locked the plane’s captain out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed the jet into a remote region of the French Alps, authorities believe.
“[W]e can analyse it that the intention was to destroy this plane,” French prosecutor Brice Robin revealed during a press conference on Thursday night.
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The German citizen, reportedly aged 27 or 28, lived with his parents in the western town of Montabaur, while also keeping a flat in Duesseldorf, Montabaur mayor Gabriele Wieland told the media.
Investigators have reportedly searched these two homes looking, in particular, for “the discovery and securing of personal documents” to help clarify the situation, Dusseldorf’s public prosecutor said in a written statement.
German authorities and Lubitz’s employers and neighbours said they had no idea what might have led him to bring down a plane with 149 other people on board in the French Alps on Tuesday.
Authorities have search the home of Mr Lubitz’ parents. Photo: Getty
The head of Lufthansa, parent company of Germanwings, told a news conference that there wasn’t “the slightest indication what might have led” to his actions.
“In our worst nightmares we could not have imagined that this kind of tragedy could happen to us here at the company,” Carsten Spohr said.
In 2008, Mr Lubitz’s training was reportedly interrupted then resumed after his suitability was “re-established”, Mr Spohr said.
There are unconfirmed reports this interlude was the result of depression.
He was not known to have any links to terrorism, French and German officials have said.
“There is no element that indicates this is a terrorist action,” French prosecutor Mr Robin.
The co-pilot began flying Boeing A320 aeroplanes for Germanwings in September 2013, and had since clocked up 630 hours of experience.
Before certified to fly, Mr Lubitz passed the education, licensing and medical standards set by the US Federal Aviation Administration, which are “among the highest in the world” according to its website.
He had a girlfriend, with whom he liked to go jogging, as well as a young brother who did not live with him, neighbours told AAP.
As the plane plummeted towards the mountainside, Mr Lubitz did not utter a word, and was heard to breathe normally on the black box recording, authorities have revealed.
He ignored repeated knocking, and then desperate bashing, at the cockpit door, believed to be that of the chief pilot, prosecutor Mr Robin said.
“One can then hear the noise of human breathing within the cockpit, and that human breathing noise can be heard until the final impact which means that theoretically the co-pilot was alive,” Mr Robin said.
“Then, one hears contact also from the Marseille air traffic control tower, but no answer from the co-pilot, even though the Marseille control tower tried getting in touch with him several times.”
After an eight-minute descent, Mr Lubitz allegedly caused the death of all 144 passengers and six crew, including two Australians.
—with AAP.
