Friday 27 March 2015

Two doctors ruled Germanwings co-pilot was unfit for work on day of crash - but he kept it secret from airline


Killer co-pilot Andreas Lubitz was signed off by 2 different doctors for the day of the Germanwings disaster but failed to tell his employers, it has been claimed. The claims come after it emerged Lubitz may have crashed his plane due to fears he was about to lose his licence on medical grounds.

Investigators revealed today that medical sign-off notes were found at Lubitz's home - including two for the day of the crash - and Dusseldorf University Hospital confirmed he had been a patient there over the past two months, although it would not disclose his condition. 

Investigators at the crash site today revealed they have retrieved more than 400 body parts belonging to the victims - but have not found an intact body. Police have now asked friends and families of the deceased to provide DNA samples as they start the grim task of identifying those who lost their lives 

 

Described as a man whose life-long obsession had been to become a pilot, it has been suggested he may have feared his flying licence might not be renewed on medical grounds.

Friends have told how Lubitz had a life-long obsession with flight, posting pictures of planes all over his walls as a child and taking gliding lessons at the age of just 14. 
Lubitz had built his whole life around becoming a pilot - with one friend saying 'would have died' if he had not have passed his flying exams - and even became a flight attendant while he waited to start his training.

He was facing a potential medical examination that could have seen his pilot's licence removed and it is thought he may have feared mental or other health problems would bring an end to his dream.

Former BA pilot Alastair Rosenschein said pilots of Lubitz's age face regular medicals as well as simulator tests and can be grounded if they fail to pass. He told MailOnline: 'He may have known that his career was already over. He may have known that the end was in sight.'

Germanwings said later that the company had not been aware of Lubitz’s sicknote. In a statement, the company said: 'Germanwings would like to clarify that no medical note was presented to the firm for this day'.
German police are now investigating whether Lubitz had stopped taking any medication he was on and have questioned chemists at the Apotheke am Breidenplatz close to Lubitz's Dusseldorf flat.

Lubitz regularly collected a prescription from the pharmacy, MailOnline understands. A chemist at the Apotheke confirmed she had spoken to the police but declined to offer any details.

The chemist told MailOnline: 'The police have visited the pharmacy this morning. But I cannot talk about anything that occurs inside the pharmacy. We are required to protect all information about patients.

Culled from UK Dailymail

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