STEVE PIECZENIK TALKS

Andreas Lubitz, Germanwings Co-Pilot, Appeared 100% Flightworthy, Airline [Lufthansa] Says

NY Times, March 26, 2015, Alison Smale and Jack Ewing.

This unbelievable tragedy of a single pilot purposefully crashing his plane into the rugged French Alps was clearly a premeditated act on the part of Andreas Lubitz, a 27 year old German national with 626 hours of experience. As I started to bring myself to the realization that this young man had contrived to kill himself along with his passengers and crew mates, I found myself using the word ‘terrorism’ instead of ‘suicide’.
Why?
For whatever underlying psychological issue that was festering in Andreas’ mind, be it ideological or personal, he understood all too well that this premeditated act of ‘mass murder/suicide’ would be reported in the world’s media as ‘frightening’ act which would instill exactly what most terrorists want: “fear”. He also understood that this horrible type of death, crashing in an inaccessible, hostile mountain terrain would make the salvage of the wreck increasingly difficult to attain and, therefore, prolong the search for all the missing bodies and airplane parts. I am certain that the culprit, Andreas, learned from the Malaysian Airline disappearance that this type of Kamikaze act would garner world attention for days, if not weeks and months. His name would be emblazoned, rightfully or wrongfully, in immortality. 

Andreas realized that he could clear the mental and physical exams however abridged or faulty they might be. He had learned that having had a ‘medical problem’ in Phoenix Arizona [whatever that might have been] was standard for the course, and his employers would never dismiss him for those medical reasons. In effect, Andreas, in my humble opinion, like all good terrorists, studied the bureaucratic system in place to control pilot’s mental and physical health so extensively that he was able to ‘game it’. He knew exactly where the system was faulty and more importantly, he understood how to take advantage of it.

Whatever the reason for his ‘terrorist act’, I suspect it was far more personal, reflecting some serious psychological problem that had manifested itself way before the act of suicide. The reason I say that is that he was by nature ‘laconic’ as described by the traffic controllers and his co-pilot. However, despite the fact that he was described as ‘happy’ and ‘pleased to fly’ , I think there is something else.

For the most part, he had a lot of ambivalence about what he was actually doing and what it really meant to him and others. More importantly, he had personal psychological issues which should have been picked up in the previous ‘time out’ that he had in Phoenix, Arizona. In fact, I am certain that when the medical records are opened [which they must be because of the extensive nature of this preventable tragedy] we will discover some very pertinent medical/psychiatric information that would have given his employers a clear picture that they had employed a ‘walking timebomb.’ 

Normally, I would not have come out so soon in declaring my professional opinions, but I have seen, diagnosed and observed airline pilots who had the following series of problems that had been missed or purposefully overlooked: drunk; hungover; hidden brain tumors [common in Air Force/Navy Pilots]; suicidal notions; family/personal unresolved problems. et al.

A system no matter how well it appears to be controlled for safety is still as strong as it’s weakest link. In the airplane business that means the people who work on the planes as mechanics, service people, pilots, stewardesses; stewards, attendants, etc. No matter how well-run this complex system is considered [and the German Lufthansa Group is one of the best] it’s still very fallible. One can say that something like this could have been averted. But I am not certain.

What I do know is that Andreas was very young. He had still lived at home with his parents. He had a ‘medical problem’ for six months and then despite his quiet, sober appearance and the finding that he was 100% flightworthy, he was clearly not.  In fact, I will predict that his personal psychological problems will have been revealed very early on in his flight training career; but somehow, it was purposefully overlooked or ignored.  Lufthansa could be negligent if the corporation’s management/human resources ignored warning signals in Andrea’s record.

One way or another, Andreas, on that day, was so angry at himself and others that he had arranged in his mind to crash the plane in very rough terrain in France to payback the world or somebody [or people] for his personal failings and inadequacies. My deepest sympathies go to all the families who lost a loved one on that plane.This is another type of ‘terrorism’ that we have not yet come to identify or accept: The 21st Century Neo-Kamikaze Pilots working at commercial airlines worldwide.

The brilliant French novelist, Albert Camus said the following:
“An intense [personal] feeling carries with it its own universe, magnificent or wretched as the case may be.”