Germanwings Co-Pilot Told Airline He Had ‘Previous Episode of Severe Depression’
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Flight Aware / ABC News(COLOGNE, Germany) — Lufthansa issued a statement Tuesday afternoon confirming that the co-pilot of the crashed Germanwings plane had informed them of his medical history during his training.
The airline said they handed those files over to investigators.
In the statement, Lufthansa confirmed that Andreas Lubitz had taken a break “for several months” during his training and when he returned in 2009, he submitted forms “about a ‘previous episode of severe depression.'”
In spite of that admission, he went on to receive “the medical certificate confirming his fitness to fly” and he went on to complete his training and earn a spot as a co-pilot for Germanwings, a subsidiary of Lufthansa.
Lubitz’s medical history is one of the main areas of inquiry for investigators after he allegedly locked his captain out of the cockpit and proceeded to crash a plane into the French Alps.
All 150 on board, including Lubitz, died.
Lufthansa also said that the medical and training documents have been submitted to the Dusseldorf Public Prosecutor.
The extent of Lubitz’s psychological issues has not been fully revealed, though Dusseldorf prosecutor Christoph Kumpa said on Monday that Lubitz had been treated by a psychotherapist prior to the completion of his flight training for suicidal tendencies.
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