The likelihood that pilot suicide was the cause of the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 in the French Alps this week has added a ghastly new element to what is already the worst airline disaster of 2015. Blackbox recordings indicate that after the plane reached cruising altitude, the pilot in command, Patrick Sonderheimer, left the cockpit briefly. Shortly afterwards, co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked himself in, disengaged the autopilot and allowed the aircraft to fly into mountainous terrain at a speed of more than 350 knots. Throughout the eight minutes of the Airbus A320's descent, the only sounds that could be heard in the cockpit were the co-pilot's steady breathing, unanswered radio calls from French air traffic controllers querying the plane's loss of altitude, and banging at the cockpit door, most probably the result of Captain Sonderheimer's attempts to re-enter the flight deck and resume control of the plane.
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The most perturbing aspect of this calamity – or mass murder as some are calling it – is that on-board security measures intended to prevent a recurrence of the 9/11 hijackings, the most notorious of all acts of mass murder by aircraft, actually enabled Mr Lubitz's death wish. When aviation authorities mandated the strengthening of cockpit doors after 9/11 to prevent break-ins by hijackers intent on seizing control of passenger aircraft, manufacturers had to settle on new locks and procedures.
On the A320, the protocol was for a crew member to call the cockpit via intercom and use a keypad to set off a buzzer inside the cockpit. This was the signal for the pilot to unlock the door. In the event the pilot was incapacitated, the crewmember outside the cockpit could enter an emergency code into the keypad, triggering a 30-second timer. If after that time, there was no response from the cockpit, the door would unlock for five seconds. However, Airbus ensured that emergency access to the cockpit could be disabled for five minutes at a time, continuously, by any crew member intent on keeping others out of the cockpit.
To guard against just such an outcome as this, United States authorities introduced rules after 9/11 that made it mandatory for a cabin crew member to enter the cockpit if the captain or first officer left for any reason. The failure of European airlines to take such precautions against the foreseeable risk that one pilot might lock out another will be extensively reviewed in the coming weeks and months by A320 operators, aviation authorities, and Airbus.
What motivated Mr Lubitz is the other compelling mystery of Flight 9525. He exhibited no obvious signs of being troubled; indeed he was regarded by those who knew him as well-adjusted and happy in his job. He certainly loved flying, and his family background and personal circumstances appeared stable. He did however, take a lengthy break from his pilot training in 2009 as a result of depression. Whatever the significance of that episode, Mr Lubitz had no difficulties in later passing the psychometric tests that pilots employed by Lufthansa (Germanwings' parent company) are expected to pass. Nonetheless, Lufthansa must now be pondering whether a more thorough psychological vetting of their pilots is warranted. Other airlines will follow suit. This is not an isolated case of suicide by pilot in the past 20 or so years. Indeed, some aviation experts believe the confounding disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on March 8 last year was caused by pilot suicide.
The story of aviation is one of constant evolution and improvement – of design, engineering, materials, crashworthiness, and, of course, safety. The minuscule probability of perishing in an aircraft crash, as opposed to dying in a traffic accident, is a testament to the success of that narrative. Recognising that humans remain the weakest link in the aviation safety net, designers and engineers have incorporated sophisticated pilot automation systems in their aircraft. For the same reason, airlines routinely screen their pilots for drug and alcohol use, and aviation authorities require them to pass medical exams once or twice a year before renewing their licences. Subjecting them to more thorough psychological testing in order to reduce the risks of pilot suicide and mass murder is a logical step to take.
