I am not surprised…
That an altitude of 96ft – the lowest possible – was (manually! there is no other way) entered for the descent is obvious from the mode-S transmissions that were received by radar.
Ah. I didn’t think of that. So that information has been officially released?
Yes – see FR24
Some people are crazy, but does this really surprise anybody?
I am sure others got the same idea, post-MH370. Suicides often do involve copying somebody using a particular method previously, and there is a tacit agreement within the press to not discuss how somebody (a young person especially) did it.
I don’t think that I’ve ever flown with a stranger. A few friends of friends that I already knew, but not so well.
What I would be nervous about doing, would be flying with someone I know to be perfectly sane and rational, but who has a fear of flying and hoping to use the opportunity to get over it. That I think poses a lot of potential problems.
I guess the world has come a long way since I started flying 35 yrs ago. Back in the day 20 yrs ago we used to give people FREE rides at the airport during open house 5 at a time in my plane. The only thing I was scared about was somebody puking onto my instrument panel or all over the interior. Luckily a 210 is very stable and with my piloting skills kept them from sharing their lunch with me and my plane. Occasionally someone would call up and request a ride to such and such. Im off that day when do you want to go? More recently I volunteered for Patient AirLift Services (PALS) a non profit, taking people from remote areas to a major city for medical care. On my dime the whole way. Never gave it a thought. Just happy I could help in some way.
But today! With Islamist Fundamentalists trying to meet God via the express lane, Depressed people not satisfied with the tried and true railway method. Things are truly scary.
I think Im going to buy a TASER.
I give people I don’t know very well short airplane rides, figuring I can size them up well enough for a short flight. If you let the presence of weirdness in the world drive your normal life, you’ll find a lot of weirdness and not have a normal life. And anyway, giving rides is usually fun.
More globally I think the secret is to lead by example, if you can, showing others that risk is normal and trusting others is OK if you’re sensible. Flying and giving relative strangers a short, safe ride is a way to do that. Places where people are taught to be risk averse aren’t the happiest places.
More globally I think the secret is to lead by example, if you can, showing others that risk is normal and trusting others is OK if you’re sensible. Flying and giving relative strangers a short, safe ride is a way to do that. Places where people are taught to be risk averse aren’t the happiest places.
I couldn’t agree more!
Seat share? With people I know sure. On my aircraft, I only allow people to fly whom I know and who have passed a pretty strict transition training with a FTO I trust. Can I be sure that not one of them goes in freak mode ever? No. Can I be sure that no passenger I ever might carry won´t? Neither. All I can do is to exercise my own personal judgement or stop carrying people at all. Will I allow this man to ruin my flying for me? No.
We have to be very careful with this horriffic act, even if quite a lot of people will go into understandable freak mode now. This event may have a much larger impact on civil aviation than even 9-11 had, especcially as 9-11 in fact helped arise the situation which made this act as well as the suicide on board of the LAM Embraer in Namibia possible, by having introduce regulators inpenetrable doors. Both of these could have been prevented had the 2nd pilot been able to get back into the cockpit. Nor have we had any terrorist attempt since, which was not stifled by passengers and cabin crew.
Crash: LAM E190 over Botswana/Namibia on Nov 29th 2013, captain intentionally crashed aircraft
In fact, I would not be surprised if it turned out that the Germanwings crash was “inspired” by the LAM suicide. What is lamentable is that the LAM event did not trigger any action at all by the regulators. Probably the usual “it was in Africa, so no concern of ours” reflex.
The big issue with this accident now is that it has damaged the one thing the flying public so far had in civil aviation: The trust in the pilots. That is why I think this accident will have major consequences for a long time to come.
As a quick bandaid solution, quite a few airlines have implemented an immediate rule after which no cockpit crew member may ever be alone in the cockpit. So whenever nature calls, one FA will have to be present in the cockpit, which makes a lot of sense given the circumstances of the LAM and German Wings accidents. There will be calls for psychological testing, for even more automatisation, for pilotless airplanes, for heaven knows what else, but I think actually having two people at all times would have prevented both of these crashes much more effectively than any witch hunt on people needing psychological help but being far from homicidal maniacs.
As one who has very close family being air crew and having to fly this weekend, this is maybe the most difficult time ever. I am confident though, that the industry will be able to provide prevention regulation in very short time indeed, as it will be a matter of survival for them.
One thing which has occurred to me after 9-11 as a trigger but not necessarily only because of it is, that once something previously thought “unthinkable” has happened, somehow a barrier is taken away and it may happen again. In this case, that principle has particularly ugly consequences especcially for aviation. My heart goes out to all those affected by this despecable act, but also to the tens of thousands of air crew deserving the trust people put in them but having it taken away by the desparate act of one very disturbed man.
I think what I meant in my original post was whether you would go up with a total stranger who just walks up to you without any other “knowledge”.
I would not, and also I would not go up with certain people I know from past life (nobody on here 
) who I know have considered or attempted suicide.
This Germanwings pilot seems to have been “treated” for depression, but that (as in taking Prozac long-term) is really widespread in the population. I would guess 30-50% at some stage?
Having two people up front all the time is the only practical solution for airlines. Unless one or even both are Jihadists with training, and if you look at the % of people from a “particular region of the world” at the average European ATPL FTO nowadays, the vetting is going to be extremely challenging! Airlines will have to address that too but they won’t be able to do it legally. Mohammed Atta was perhaps a year from getting an airline job…
no cockpit crew member may ever be alone in the cockpit.
that is impulsive action by airline management and politics driven by media who do not know how many ways there are for an insane crew member to crash an airliner …
= if your bladder seeks relief you have to wait for a flight attendant to stop serving drinks … ???
- they better enable the pilots to choose a secret door code (only known by the flight deck crew) before flight that opens the door immediately and prevents someone inside the cockpit from keeping it locked.
