Germanwings Airbus crash 24 March #1

[Madeleine74]

I would recommend that instead of assuming exactly what happened and why that people wait for the facts to be revealed by the people who are actually investigating this disaster. So much misinformation based on speculation, 'gut feel,' theories, and beliefs, and it does no one any good.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...et-BA-planes-latest-issue-house-magazine.html

By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE and DAN BLOOM FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 07:15 EST, 28 December 2014 | UPDATED: 20:15 EST, 28 December 2014

Its author, known only as the ‘Al Qaeda chef’, was re-interviewed this week as the magazine claimed the attacks were a ‘natural reaction’ to the ‘arrogance’ of the US.

He said the ‘first priority’ for any of his terrorists would be the US, ‘then the United Kingdom, then France and so on’.

And he called for the rise of the ‘lone wolf’ jihadist, saying: ‘It is hard to uncover, because none knows him but Allah. He has no relationship with any group or any individuals.’ The magazine also praised an axe attack on a group of policemen in New York in October as a ‘splendid’ example of a ‘lone wolf’.

US navy veteran Zale Thompson was shot dead in the street after the brutal hatchet attack, which the FBI confirmed last month it was considering as an act of terror.
FBI director James Comey said Thompson had been watching Islamic State beheading videos and other radical jihadist material online, adding there is ‘no doubt that played a role’ in the attack.

 

[jslk]

I share the horror felt by many of you [emoji17]

 

[Dockins]

Husband heard the latest and immediately referenced the Egypt disaster. He says he never uses that lock position when a first officer just takes a bathroom break. And, as a mom trying to get my kid enough flight hours to get a commercial job, I questioned how a captain would so few hours for ten years?

 

[JanetElaine]

Hope everyone who does this remembers this important lesson not to make assumptions.

Not trying to start an argument, but isn't that what we do around here? We float ideas, assumptions and suggestions to see if we can make sense of something? If we have to just sit still and wait and not say a word speculating about what possibly could have happened, Websleuths would be a boring place to be.

 

[Madeleine74]

Not trying to start an argument, but isn't that what we do around here? We float ideas, assumptions and suggestions to see if we can make sense of something? If we have to just sit still and wait and not say a word speculating about what possibly could have happened, Websleuths would be a boring place to be.

I agree it is boring to work off of facts instead of speculation, rumor, fantasy, and fears.

 

[wfgodot]

CNN had reporter in Düsseldorf report that authorities are not commenting on findings. Who leaked the locked cockpit door originally? Thanks

"Senior military official" fed NYT the story, possibly as a make-up for an earlier -- and erroneous -- Times report that no recordings could be extracted.

 

[KEVINinTO]

Something to consider is the fact that at the time of the incident the aircraft would have been on autopilot and set to maintain cruising altitude. Even if the pilot inside the cockpit had a heart attack and his body slumped over the side-stick controller that would not disengage the autopilot. The pilot would have to push the auto-pilot disconnect button on the side-stick controller in order to disengage the autopilot.

In this video you can see - beginning at 1:54 how the disengage function works. Note the pilot has to press down on the red auto-pilot disconnect button. You can hear the auto-pilot disconnect alarm (chirping sound) when the button is pressed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJrLKLoJG_o

What this suggests to me is that the actions of the pilot inside the cockpit were almost certainly deliberate (especially since we now learn that he locked out the other pilot). I wonder if the CVR picked up the sound of the autopilot disconnecting? If not it would suggest that the pilot dialed in a rate of descent into the autopilot (again pointing to a nefarious action).

 

[cuffem]

There was a case back about 10-15 years ago of an Egyptian airliner en route from NYC to Cairo, flying over the Atlantic at night when it went down for no apparent reason- when they recovered the recorder it was the same thing as is being suggested here- the co-pilot locked out the pilot and deliberately flew into the ocean- he was reciting prayers as he did so.
We maybe do need to realize that even if this was deliberate it is not necessarily a terrorist act by Islamists. The co-pilot could have had severe mental/emotional issues.

I recall the pilot a couple years ago that flipped out before or during or after flight and had to be strapped to a chair to be removed from plane.I would imagine there are protocols for detecting mental illness in pilots bevcause of such a high stress job and the hours.

 

[restarea]

Not trying to start an argument, but isn't that what we do around here? We float ideas, assumptions and suggestions to see if we can make sense of something? If we have to just sit still and wait and not say a word speculating about what possibly could have happened, Websleuths would be a boring place to be.

web "lets wait until we know more".com wouldn't get many hits.

 

[JanetElaine]

I agree it is boring to work off of facts instead of speculation, rumor, fantasy, and fears.

Well, that's not what I said. We just take facts and speculate about what could have happened within those facts. I don't recall anyone here floating a theory that the plane may have collided mid-air with a 20 foot unicorn. That would be fantasy. It appears you don't even like people speculating about what may have happened to cause a pilot to be locked out of the cockpit (which is currently considered to be a fact). But I'm only assuming that, so I'm sure I'm wrong.

 

[wfgodot]

This is just chilling. I keep reading that Times report -- “The guy outside is knocking lightly on the door and there is no answer. And then he hits the door stronger and no answer. There is never an answer.”

There is never an answer. Ten-plus minutes and never an answer, going down.

 

[JanetElaine]

I don't think I've seen it posted, but forgive me if it's a repeat. Some victim profiles:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/03/25/world/europe/germanwings-victims.html?_r=0

 

[Madeleine74]

The all-important data recorder info is what's greatly needed as that will definitively reveal the various actions taken in the cockpit, at what time, in what sequence, and will answer many (but not all) questions.

Attention will likely turn to a conversation on how can airlines best check the emotional wellness of any crew member, especially pilots? The once-a-year psychological exam is not enough. And what measures can be taken, if any, to prevent a pilot from sabatoging his/her own flight that doesn't exist today?

 

[Zuri]

Listening to David Soucie on CNN. He makes the most sense to me out of all the experts. He said that this would become a criminal investigation and the criminal investigative body would assume control over the crash. Ugh. Even sadder.

 

[Isabelle]

How would officials know one of the pilots left the cockpit and is it possible it was another member of the crew or a passenger knocking on the door? May have sensed something was wrong and tried to get cockpit attention. Per aircraft expert on CNN, whether or not the cockpit door was opened/closed is not recorded because older planes were retrofitted after 9/11. Would really like to know if any words were recorded.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Question: A govt employee's identity has been released, as well as her daughter's identity. Why isn't the third American's identity being released yet? Is it possible that maybe their family hasn't been reached yet?

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2015/0...g-french-alps-plane-crash-victims-112593.html

By The Associated Press, Kevin Lewis, Kimberly Suiters
March 25, 2015 - 11:43 am
Updated: March 25, 2015 - 09:27 pm

Identified victims were Yvonne Selke of Nokesville, Va., an employee for 23 years at Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. in D.C., and her daughter, Emily Selke, a recent graduate of Drexel University in Philadelphia. The U.S. government did not identify the third American it said was on the plane.

Yvonne Selke performed work under contract with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon's satellite mapping office, Booz Allen and the Defense Department confirmed in statements after the AP had reported her identity and employment.

Booz Allen's chief personnel officer, Betty Thompson, described Selke as "a wonderful co-worker and a dedicated employee who spent her career with the firm."

Further details about Yvonne Selke's work for the secretive Pentagon agency were not immediately available. Most information about her assignment and contact information had already been removed Wednesday from Booz Allen's internal network.

French officials said terrorism appeared unlikely, and Germany's top security official said Wednesday there was no evidence of foul play. French investigators were opening the jet's mangled black box they recovered, hoping the cockpit recordings inside would help them unlock the mystery of what caused the crash.

 

[Madeleine74]

I guess Airbus 300 series pilots don't need to boycott their airplanes anymore since this particular accident does not appear to be a result of mechanical failure.

 

[Dr. Know?]

Honestly, At my age, I gather information, sometimes speculate but rarely out loud and don't need instructions on how to do it in the middle of such a tragedy when the news is flying.

So if someone feels the need to direct others on what it is they need to do & how to do it, and constantly tell others they are always wrong, well, I could tell you...

My apologies for the O/T. Speculate away!

 

[Madeleine74]

How would officials know one of the pilots left the cockpit and is it possible it was another member of the crew or a passenger knocking on the door? May have sensed something was wrong and tried to get cockpit attention. Per aircraft expert on CNN, whether or not the cockpit door was opened/closed is not recorded because older planes were retrofitted after 9/11. Would really like to know if any words were recorded.

Because the voice recorders specifically pick up the pilots talking to each other and the tower. They could hear one of the pilots leaving to go to the restroom (or wherever he was going) as he said something that about his movements and the voice recorder captured his voice. In fact one of the main articles said they could hear the conversation between pilot and copilot and all was normal and smooth during the beginning of the flight.