NY Times: pilot locked out of cockpit prior to crash
As aviation officials continue to investigate the cause of the Germanwings crash, audio recordings have revealed one of the pilots left the cockpit mid-flight and was unable to get back in.
The New York Times has cited an unnamed source described as a senior military official involved in the investigation, who said the pilot was desperately trying to gain access to the cockpit just before the crash.
“The guy outside is knocking lightly on the door, and there is no answer,” the investigator said.
“Then he hits the door stronger, and no answer. There is never an answer. You can hear he is trying to smash the door down.”
“We don’t know yet the reason why one of the guys went out,” the investigator added.
“But what is sure is that at the very end of the flight, the other pilot is alone and does not open the door.”
Just a year after the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the data gleaned so far from the Germanwings voice recorder only deepens the uncertainty of what led to the fatal crash.
Aviation safety analysts have speculated on the likely cause, saying that cabin depressurization may have incapacitated the remaining pilot in the cockpit.
A senior French official who has not been named in the NY Times report also said that deliberate sabotage was also being looked at.
“So far, we don’t have any evidence that points clearly to a technical explanation,” the official said.
“So we have to consider the possibility of deliberate human responsibility.”
“To me, it seems very weird: this very long descent at normal speed without any communications, though the weather was absolutely clear,” he added.
Debris from the crash site is scattered over a wide area of mountainous terrain making it difficult to physically analyze reasons behind the crash.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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