Andreas Lubitz may have offered a chilling, foreboding response to his Germanwings captain, Patrick Sondenheimer, shortly before the aircraft crashed. According to Daily Mail , the conversation between Lubitz and Sondenheimer reportedly took place during the landing check. Investigators retrieved the transcript from the plane’s black box recorder. Apparently, the conversation took place just before the troubled co-pilot encouraged the captain to use the bathroom.
“Preparing for landing?” Sondenheimer asked.
“Hopefully. We’ll See,” replied Lubitz.
Once Lubitz eased the captain’s mind and convinced him to leave the cockpit, things took a devastating turn. The chilling statement may have been a disturbing foreboding of the tragedy to come. It has been reported that moments later, Sondenheimer returned, but was unable enter the cockpit because Lubitz had locked him out. He can be heard yelling for Lubitz to “open the god d–n door,” but to no avail.
https://twitter.com/reemajaiswal68/status/582501003087347712
The coverage of Germanwings pilot Andreas Lubitz has been shameful – The Washington Post #NewsObsession hurt feelings http://t.co/5Uf21A8DPk
— Gen.Tannous Mouawad (@tannous_mouawad) March 30, 2015
According to CNN , passengers could be heard panicking in the background of the recording as Sondenheimer continued his attempt to open the door to the cockpit. Unfortunately, the only sound coming from the cockpit was the sound of Lubitz breathing as the plane descended downward, falling approximately 3,500 feet per minute. Lubitz had reportedly switched the plane’s autopilot cruising altitude from 38,000 feet to a meager 96 feet. So, there was no doubt that the plane was going to crash. The aircraft crashed into the French Alps. All 150 passengers on board were killed.
German investigators reportedly discovered that Lubitz had been “living on the edge” for quite some time. Apparently, every time he entered the cockpit he was taking a risk because his vision was deteriorating, reports the New York Times . However, no further details have been released about the condition that may have contributed to his vision problems. The troubled co-pilot was also being treated for unspecified psychological issues. As a result of the debilitating condition, Lubitz would have eventually lost his pilot’s license, which was quite devastating. It has also been reported that his relationship with his girlfriend was also troubled, although they’d made plans to marry next year.
The shocking discovery follows the release of Lubitz’ adolescent photos. It has also been reported that his girlfriend may have been expecting their first child.
[Photo by Getty Images; Francis Pellier MI DICOM/Ministere de l’Interieur/Sascha Steinbach/]
