Evidence From Retrieved Germanwings 4U9525 Black Box Reveals Co-Pilot's Purported Plan to Crash Plane

Partial transcript of the retrieved black box recorder of Germanwings flight 4U9525 has revealed co-pilot Andreas Lubitz had encouraged Captain Patrick Sonderheimer to go to the toilet so he can be left alone in the cockpit, purportedly so he can carry out his plans of downing the aircraft carrier with 150 people on board.

A report by the Wall Street Journal on Saturday said Sonderheimer had mentioned to Lubitz he wasn’t able to go for a toilet break before they departed Barcelona. It is now being implied this became the perfect opportunity for Lubitz as he encouraged the older colleague to take the break while already on the air, presumably so he can crash the plane into the French Alps.

Before leaving his chair, Sonderheimer ordered Lubitz to check the landing preparations. Lubitz’ replies were only a curt “Hopefully” and “Let’s see.”

Sonderheimer, presumably having relied on the good conversation exchange earlier with the younger pilot, did not see any malice on the latter’s toilet break advice. Ultimately, when he already saw the aircraft flying at a stable cruising altitude of 38,000 feet, he took Lubitz’ bait and gave the order "you take over." He then left his seat, opened the door, eventually putting into motion Lubitz’ alleged plans to crash the aircraft.

According to records published by German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Sondheimer pleaded with Lubitz to unlock the cockpit door. “For God’s sake, open the door!” Noting his orders were not being heeded, the captain of the doomed Germanwings flight 4U9525 sought an axe, an already desperate attempt to destroy the door as the aircraft rapidly descended from the clear skies to the mountains in the French Alps.

The one-and-a-half hour transcript claimed that in just two minutes that Sondheimer left Lubitz, air traffic control on the ground detected the aircraft had dropped in altitude. It contacted the person in charge of the cockpit but received no answer. French prosecutors believed Lubitz, after the captain exited the cockpit, immediately locked the door and turned his attention on the flight monitoring system, turning on a button to initiate the aircraft’s descent.

The partial transcript heard Sondheimer’s yells turning from pleas to utter desperation. Screams of the 150 people on board can also be heard in the background. An internal alarm went off at 10.37 am advising the cockpit “Terrain -- pull up!” The aircraft had dropped to 2,000 metres at this point. Investigators, according to the Bild report, claimed the sound of the plane’s right wing brushing a mountaintop shortly before the crash at 10.40am can be heard. All throughout the rapid descent, Lubitz allegedly was breathing “normally.”

The partial transcript comes after investigators disclosed Lubitz was being treated for eyesight problems which could have compounded a psychiatric condition from which he had suffered for six years. Investigators will investigate on the theory that severe stress of losing his job from the vision problems pushed him to commit suicide.

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