Passengers were doomed by post 9/11 safety system that allows pilots to keep terrorists out of the cockpit, come-what-may
- Since 9/11 all passenger jets are required to lock the cockpit door in flight
- Cabin crew can gain access using a special code - but pilots can stop this
- However, the lock is on a timer in case the pilots are incapacitated
- Lubitz paused his pilot training after suffering 'burnout' and depression
The
co-pilot blamed for deliberately crashing a passenger jet with 150
people on board into the Alps used post-9/11 safety mechanisms to carry
out his plan.
Andreas
Guenter Lubitz, 28, waited for his captain, Patrick Sondenheimer to
leave the flight deck and go to the toilet before commanding the Airbus
A-320 to descend.
Once
out of the cockpit, the door locked automatically. Ironically, this
auto-lock feature, which led to Lubitz having sole control of the plane,
was introduced as a way of improving flight safety in the wake of 9/11.
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The Airbus A-320 is fitted with a safety system, pictured, to prevent unauthorised access to the flight deck
Lubitz was sitting in this cockpit, pictured, when he commanded the jet to crash into the Alps at 400mph
Andreas Lubitz, pictured, locked his captain out of the cockpit and crashed the jet into the side of a mountain
The
Airbus A320 is fitted with a locking mechanism to prevent unauthorised
access to the flight deck while the aircraft is in flight. The door was
also specially strengthened, to prevent someone from being able to barge
their way through.
The
safety systems were improved in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror
attacks where hijackers were able to gain access to the cockpit and take
over the aircraft.
Access to the cockpit door on
the Germanwings Airbus A320 (like the one above) can be disabled from
inside the flight deck to prevent hijacking
In normal flight, the door to the flight is closed and locked.
Cabin crew can use a code and gain access to the flight deck.
Entry is controlled by the flight crew, in case of a possible hijack attempt.
The
Cockpit Door Locking System (CDLS) according to the flight manual
'provides a means of electrically locking and unlocking the cockpit
door'.
The CDLS is located in the central pedestal between both pilots and has a toggle switch which controls the door.
They also have a CCTV camera so they can see who is seeking access, and if they are under any form of duress.
Pilots can restrict access to the flight deck although cabin crew can gain entry in an emergency.
However, this emergency access can be over-ridden by the pilot for between five to 20 minutes.
The limited time to keep the door closed is itself a safety feature, in case the flight crew become incapacitated.
After
the predetermined time, the keypad on the outside of the cockpit door
will become operational again, unless the pilot actively restricts
access again.
Also the cockpit door has several other safety features in case of a sudden decompression which will cause the door to open.
According to the flight manual there are 'routine' and 'emergency' access requests.
The door locking mechanism is on the centre console, pictured, so it can be operated by either pilot
The pilot has to flick one simple switch, pictured, to lock the cabin door for between five and 20 minutes
'The
toggle switch enables the flight crew to lock or unlock the cockpit
door, following an access request, thereby allowing or denying the entry
to the cockpit.'
The flight manual states that the control unit is responsible for:
- Locking or unlocking the door latches, upon flight crew action
- Unlocking the door i, in case of cockpit decompression (the door then opens towards the cockpit under differential pressure)
- Indicating system failures of electrical latches and pressure sensors
- Activating the access request buzzer and turning on the keypad LEDs
On the Airbus A320, there are three settings:
- Unlock: This position is used to enable the cabin crew member to open the door. The switch must be pulled and maintained in the unlocked position until the door is pushed open.
- Normal: All latches are locked, and EMERGENCY access is possible for the cabin crew
- Lock: Once the button has been moved to this position, the door is locked; emergency access, the buzzer, and the keypayd are inhibited for a preselected time (5 to 20 min)
School friends said that Lubitz paused his pilot's training in 2008 after suffering from 'burnout' and depression.
CHILLING REMINDER OF 'CARBON COPY' TOILET BREAK JET CRASH
On
November 29, 2013 Mozambique Airways Flight LAM 470 crashed on a
scheduled passenger flight between Maputo, Mozambique and Luanda,
Angola.
Air
crash investigators think the Embraer 190 jet was flown into the ground
by the captain after his copilot went to the toilet, killing everyone.
The jet's captain, Herminio dos Santos Fernandes was believed to have had serious personal problems at the time of his death.
Mozambique Airways Flight LAM 470
crashed into the ground, pictured, after the pilot locked his
colleague, who went on a toilet break, out of the flight deck before
commanding it to crash from 38,000 feet
When
his co-pilot went to the toilet, flight data information recovered from
the scene found that Fernandes manually changed the aircraft's altitude
from 38,000 feet to almost 600 feet below ground level.
He also pushed the aircraft's throttles back to idle and selected the jet's maximum operating speed.
Chillingly,
the cockpit voice recorder picked up the sound of the co-pilot pounding
on the door, similar to Captain Patrick Sondenheimer's attempts to
regain access to the flight deck.
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