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Families blame Germanwings

Families of those who died when a pilot crashed a Germanwings passenger flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf say a report has not addressed why Andreas Lubitz was able to hide his mental illness from his employers.

It emerged on Sunday (AEST), in the final accident report, that Lubitz had visited 41 doctors in the months before the fatal crash.

Prosecutors believe the pilot, who had a history of severe depression, deliberately flew the plane into a mountain on March 24.

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All 150 people on board the airliner died in the crash.

Doctors who treated the Germanwings pilot for depression and mental illness did not speak with French investigators due to privacy laws.

The father of Paul Bramley, 28, blamed Germanwings and parent company Lufthansa.

“He was seen 41 times by different doctors,” 60-year-old Philip Bramley told the Sunday Mirror.

“If they had said something my son and everyone on that flight would still be alive.

“But it’s my view that the airline is at fault.

“They should be more diligent about who they employ and have more safeguards to stop people slipping through the net.”

It was a view shared by Jurgen Fischenich, who lost his 33-year-old son Sven in the crash.

“When something happens in a company, the person at the top is responsible, even if he wasn’t directly involved himself,” he told Associated Press.

“They need to apologise at least.

“Without the negligence on Lufthansa’s part, my son wouldn’t have died like this. It wasn’t just an accident.

“This was a crash where Lufthansa’s safety mechanisms failed.”

German lawyer Elmar Giemulla, who represents several victims’ families, added: “They have to take care of their equipment and they have to ensure that their staff is able to fly an aircraft.

“And they didn’t meet that responsibility, it’s sad to say.”

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