Germanwings Flight 4U9525 Crash in the French Alps (D-AIPX)

A scheduled flight from Barcelona to Düsseldorf crashed in the French Alps after a controlled descent. The official investigation attributed the accident to the deliberate action of the copilot.

Probable cause

The collision with the ground was due to the deliberate and planned action of the copilot who decided to commit suicide while alone in the cockpit. The process for medical certification of pilots, in particular self-reporting in case of decrease in medical fitness between two periodic medical evaluations, did not succeed in preventing the copilot, who was experiencing mental disorder with psychotic symptoms, from exercising the privilege of his licence. Contributing factors included the copilot’s probable fear of losing his ability to fly, potential financial consequences from lack of specific insurance, and the lack of clear guidelines in German regulations on when a threat to public safety outweighs medical confidentiality. Security requirements led to cockpit doors designed to resist forcible intrusion, making it impossible to enter the flight compartment before impact.