Mar 24, 2015, 6:09 am
Last edit by: irishguy28
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============================================
Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 (Barcelona - Dusseldorf) crashed on 24 March 2015, coming down in the Alps near Barcelonette France
Aircraft involved is Airbus A320 reg D-AIPX. It was delivered to Lufthansa in 1991 and passed to Germanwings in 2001. It received routine maintenance at DUS the day before the crash (performed by Lufthansa Technik) and had its last major overhaul ( C-Check) in the summer of 2013. Lufthansa have said the plane was in 'perfect' condition.
Circumstances
It is very likely that the aircraft was deliberately crashed by the co-pilot Andreas Lubwitz
As per Germanwings press conference held 1400 on 24th March:
The aircraft flew from DUS to BCN on the morning of the crash
The flight left BCN at 1001 local time, it reached crusing altitude of 38000 at 1045 but remained there for only one minute before beginning a descent which lasted 8 minutes and ended in the crash.
ATC permission was not asked for the descent and it is unclear whether or not the crew were in ATC contact and under what circumstances an emergency was declared.
Subsequent reports suggest there was no communication between the crew and ATC after the aircraft began to descend.
The weather was good at the time of the crash:
Surface weather near where they started the descent:
METAR LFTH 240800Z AUTO 07012KT 9999 NSC 15/08 Q1008
METAR LFTH 240830Z AUTO 07012KT 9999 NSC 15/09 Q1008
METAR LFTH 240900Z AUTO 08016KT 9999 FEW035 SCT130 15/08 Q1008
That's basically unrestricted visibility at the surface.
Posted by Captainmiles Post #156 in this thread
US govt sources say no evidence of terrorism (reported on sky news uk)
Germanwings/Lufthansa official response
Germanwings press conference announced for 1500 local time, to be held in Cologne
Press conference reports: Lufthansa group employees enroute to crash site, families of victims being informed, crisis center set up at DUS airport
New flight number have been announced
4U9440 DUS0645 – 0855BCN EQV
4U9441 BCN0935 – 1155DUS EQV
Relatives of victims have been transported to the crash area by Lufthansa
Lufthansa press conference held at 1330 GMT on 26 March stated that the plane was most likely brought down deliberately by the co-pilot.
Video recording of the press conference (26 March):
In German
In English (simultaneous translation)
Victims
Latest reports are 144 passengers and 6 crew aboard, Spanish government report 45 Spanish nationals, French government reports 0 French nationals, German government reports there are some German victims but numbers not known (German wings press conference reports 67), Sky News UK reports Turkish nationals on board. There were 2 babies, one of the belonging to a woman from Manchester and the other is German, the child of opera singer Maria Radner who was travelling on the flight with her husband.
Two of the victims were Australians - a mother and her adult son from Victoria.
Two victims from Argentina
Three from Great Britain
One Israeli
Two Colombians
One Belgian
One Dutch
Two Iranians
Three Americans
Two Japanese
Three Mexicans
The German victims include 16 pupils and 2 teachers from Joseph Koenig Gymnasium (high school) at Haltern Am See, they were returning from an exchange visit to Spain.
Crew comprised 4 cabin crew and 2 flight deck. The captain had been with Lufthansa group for 10 years and had over 6000 hours on this plane type.
The co-pilot is widely reported to have joined Germanwings straight out of training in 2013 and to have had 630 hours of experience.
French rescue services believe there are no survivors.
Emergency contact numbers
From Germany 0800 1133 5577
From Spain 902 400 012
0049 30 5000 3000
The names of the victims will be published once their families have been informed.
Crash site
The crash site has been identified by helicopters, it is not accessible by road and is around 2 and a half hours walk from the nearest road (reported Sky News UK). It is at an altitude of around 2000m. Search and rescue teams are en-route. There may be an avalanche risk which could hamper rescue efforts. Rescuers are assembling at Seyne-Les-Alpes.
Sky news UK are reporting that a helicopter has landed near the crash site. They have confirmed no survivors and have reported the largest piece of debris to be about car sized. The debris field is about 200 square meters in size. See also http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/24557269-post183.html
Investigation - confirmed information
Large numbers of French investigators are on site, efforts have been made to secure the site against outside interference.
The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) has been recovered and taken for investigation at French BEA. It is damaged but functional. Voices can be heard on the recording but it is unclear if they are those of the flight crew.
BEA is working in cooperation with German BFU (Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung), Airbus and CFM.
The aircraft was complete until impact - there was no midair breakup
"Germanwings Pilot Was Locked Out of Cockpit Before Crash in France"
New York Times reports that one of the two pilots was locked out of the cockpit during the descent: “You can hear he is trying to smash the door down.” http://nyti.ms/1HC7g9i
French prosecuters believe that the crash was caused by the deliberate actions of the co-pilot, he is thought to have locked the captain out of the cockpit and then to have deliberately crashed the aircraft.
Video of cockpit operation and manual override switch to block door from being opened externally. From The Guardian.
A locked door is opened by a flight crew inside the cockpit but can also be unlocked by cabin crew entering a keycode from the outside. Crew inside the cockpit can manually override it to keep a door locked for up to five minutes.
On 6 May 2015, the BEA released its preliminary report.
Reliable Sources
AV Herald page on the crash.
FlightRadar24 flight path map
flightware tracking log
BBC News "What we know so far"
Germanwings / 4U 9525 A320 Alpine plane crash 24 Mar 2015
Mar 25, 2015, 10:11 am
#376
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Body in Downtown YYZ, heart and mind elsewhere
Programs: UA 50K, refugee from AC E50K, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 5,132
Pics of the CVR arrived this morning :
http://www.bea.aero/fr/enquetes/vol....hoto.cvr.2.jpg
http://www.bea.aero/fr/enquetes/vol....hoto.cvr.3.jpg
"Source : Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA, France, www.bea.aero)"
http://www.bea.aero/fr/enquetes/vol....hoto.cvr.2.jpg
http://www.bea.aero/fr/enquetes/vol....hoto.cvr.3.jpg
"Source : Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA, France, www.bea.aero)"
Mar 25, 2015, 10:17 am
#378
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Geneva, Dubai, Paris
Programs: Disillusioned Cent
Posts: 1,880
How many accidents must still happen before all aircraft are finally equipped with real-time flight data streaming systems?
Interesting article about the subject:
http://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/201...ains-in-china/
What is preventing airlines from installing those systems?
Interesting article about the subject:
http://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/201...ains-in-china/
What is preventing airlines from installing those systems?
Mar 25, 2015, 10:20 am
#379
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 🇸🇬 🇭🇰 🇫🇷
Programs: Many
Posts: 4,749
Many people are indeed looking for information, specially after Malaysia and Air Asia crashes which are still unresolved.
Mar 25, 2015, 10:24 am
#380
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Body in Downtown YYZ, heart and mind elsewhere
Programs: UA 50K, refugee from AC E50K, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 5,132
Hopefully the CVR will tell us something.
Mar 25, 2015, 10:26 am
#381
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: BSL/FRA or PHL
Programs: LH Miles and More, DL SkyMiles, Bonvoy, Hilton
Posts: 2,335
I said I didn't see anything unprofessional or inappropriate. The responses from 4U and LH I saw were in my view quite professional and appropriate. My question to you was which of your impressions in the US reports were not very positive, which you answered quite nicely. Thanks!
I did notice that Hr. Winkelmann was choosing his word exceptionally carefully in front of the press, which I can understand, and yes, his stiffness in front of the camera was pretty obvious. But, in the end, he did say the right things, which seems to be the important thing.
Mar 25, 2015, 10:26 am
#382
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 6,978
How many accidents must still happen before all aircraft are finally equipped with real-time flight data streaming systems?
Interesting article about the subject:
http://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/201...ains-in-china/
What is preventing airlines from installing those systems?
Interesting article about the subject:
http://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/201...ains-in-china/
What is preventing airlines from installing those systems?
Mar 25, 2015, 10:30 am
#385
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 2,188
This has happened before due to someone using the wrong bolts when replacing the window: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British...ys_Flight_5390
Things would indeed be very different at 38,000 ft. Temperatures below 50C and airspeed of approximately 900 km/h, not likely that any of the pilots would manage to put (and keep!) his mask on in these conditions.
Mar 25, 2015, 10:32 am
#386
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Geneva, Dubai, Paris
Programs: Disillusioned Cent
Posts: 1,880
Cost. Not just the cost of installing it, cost of downing a plane from rotation and taking the time to install and test it. Finally, the cost of keep it running, storing info, and replacing them as needed in the future. Airlines are already trying to squeeze profits everywhere they can cut, adding another cost with marginal benefits isn't one of them.
Mar 25, 2015, 10:32 am
#387
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 🇸🇬 🇭🇰 🇫🇷
Programs: Many
Posts: 4,749
Mar 25, 2015, 10:51 am
#388
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: W11
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 62
Selon François Hollande, l'"enveloppe" de la seconde boîte noire a été "retrouvée" mais "pas encore, hélas, la boîte noire elle-même".
Trans: According to Francois Hollande, the "casing" of the 2nd black box has been "retrieved" but "unfortunately, not yet the black box itself".
So indeed.
Mar 25, 2015, 10:57 am
#389
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 90
Where did you read or hear this?
I did not know about this one, reading this wiki page left me speechless. It looks like the FO and FA did the hell of a job.
Things would indeed be very different at 38,000 ft. Temperatures below 50C and airspeed of approximately 900 km/h, not likely that any of the pilots would manage to put (and keep!) his mask on in these conditions.
I did not know about this one, reading this wiki page left me speechless. It looks like the FO and FA did the hell of a job.
Things would indeed be very different at 38,000 ft. Temperatures below 50C and airspeed of approximately 900 km/h, not likely that any of the pilots would manage to put (and keep!) his mask on in these conditions.
I am a aviation student in Cologne. Most,if not all, of my professors either work for or have worked with Lufthansa in a management role or consulting. I was told this by one of them about 2 hours ago while in a class and he cited a source within the company.
I understand it´s all speculation right now so I just wanted to add a scenario which hasn´t been mentioned yet as well.
If say a windshield was completely compromised at cruising altitude what kind of conditions would occur in the cockpit? The BA article states the pilot was pulled out of the open window, but the FA was able to grab a hold of him and hold on. Why wasnt the FA also pulled out the open window? Would it be possible in a situation like this that both pilots are prematurely evacuated from the cockpit? That scenario was talked about in class and it horrified everyone.
Mar 25, 2015, 11:02 am
#390
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 12
*bea's jouty says have extracted some usable recordings
*jouty says voices on recording but declines to say if pilots
*jouty says doesn't see scenario suggesting de-pressurization
*jouty says no information yet about what was in plane's hold
*bea's jouty says plane flew intact until crash
*jouty says no element to confirm cracked cockpit window rumors
*interpol starts investigation at request of french authorities
*jouty says voices on recording but declines to say if pilots
*jouty says doesn't see scenario suggesting de-pressurization
*jouty says no information yet about what was in plane's hold
*bea's jouty says plane flew intact until crash
*jouty says no element to confirm cracked cockpit window rumors
*interpol starts investigation at request of french authorities