A black ribbon and a flower to commemorate the victims of Germanwings Flight 4U9525 are seen hung up over a ticket counter of Lufthansa and Germanwings at Duesseldorf’s airport.
By Updesh Kapur/Doha
The tragic circumstances that have emerged from the fatal crash of the Germanwings aircraft in the French Alps a fortnight ago are still difficult to digest.
A plane deliberately steered into the mountain side by co-pilot Andreas Lubitz killing all 150 onboard has generated plenty of commentary.
The pilot’s mental condition and the motive of his actions have been the focus of the investigation so far by French and German authorities.
As the remains of the victims have rapidly been recovered despite the difficult terrain and conditions search teams are working under, the gravity of the incident is hard to bear for many.
A growing number of questions are being asked about how the pilot, reportedly having suicidal tendencies that were known to its employer, was ever allowed to fly.
The puzzling questions remain what prompted 27-year-old Lubitz to let the plane plummet to its demise and whether his medical condition of suffering from depression played a role in the crash.
Evidence points to Lubitz taking full control of the Airbus A320, preventing his captain from re-entering the cockpit after a toilet break.
Each day, fresh details surface, many hard to fathom and nothing to console the families of those who perished in the ill-fated Germanwings flight 9525.
With 144 passengers and six crew onboard, the aircraft had departed Barcelona mid-morning on March 24 bound for the German city of Dusseldorf.
Forty minutes into the flight over the Alps, French air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft which had descended from a cruising altitude of 38,000 feet to 6,175 feet within minutes before crashing in the Alpes de Haute-Provence region.
What’s chilling and harrowing is how evidence that ought to be protected is being easily leaked to the media, especially at such an early stage of the investigation. A video said to have been taken on a mobile phone that survived the obliterated plane on impact reportedly shows screaming passengers as the aircraft plunged to its final resting point. Details of the video have been printed in European publications. Audio from the retrieved cockpit voice recorder has come to light with a German tabloid publishing part of the transcript.
Of the 1.5 hours of audio captured, the publication said the captain is heard banging on the cockpit door, screaming to be allowed back in while the co-pilot is heard only breathing.
Airlines around the world are now reacting by ensuring there are two crew members in the cockpit at all times – a combination of two pilots, or a pilot and a cabin crew. This is of course a knee-jerk reaction. Will it become mandatory and, if so, will it actually avert potential incidents as experienced by Germanwings.
Pilots have a huge responsibility on their shoulders; the safety and security of up to 500 passengers on 16 hour journeys at 35,000 feet is no mean feat.
They take charge of an aircraft bearing the burden of responsibility and stewardship. It’s part of their overall leadership skills mandated while undergoing intense training – both during simulation exercises and at the controls of an aircraft to accumulate flying hours with passengers onboard.
A pilot needs to demonstrate he or she has the mindset to multi-task the various duties required during pre-flight checks, inflight and post arrival.
Taking the controls, filling out paperwork, communicating with different stakeholders during a flight – be it air traffic control, fellow pilots, cabin crew and passengers – all need a strong figure to be at the helm.
If, as it seems, Lubitz hid his illness from his employer, this brings to light how critical the element of responsibility is for any individual in such a commanding job.
Pilots have as much a responsibility to declare their fitness levels to themselves ensuring they are able to do the job effectively, as to the hundreds of passengers in their care and to the employers who give them a monthly salary.
I have engaged with many pilots during my decade here in Qatar. It is reassuring to see the level of maturity in observing strict protocols. Whether it is refraining from alcohol at a party the night before a flight or taking valid sick leave with a noticeable illness, they have the burden of responsibility.
This too applies for cabin crew who are charged with looking after passengers.. They are as much accountable to be fit and fine in the course of their duties. Every aircraft has a minimum crew requirement in the cabin environment.
One less fit crew member working onboard makes a big difference to performance and reaction levels affecting the crew/passenger ratio and the safety of all those onboard throughout the flight.
Authorities are likely to implement measures for greater health checks carried out on pilots and indeed cabin crew. While annual medical checks are mandatory, in-depth psychiatric tests are not.
Pilots are expected to inform medical examiners at their annual checks of any health issues that could affect their flying ability. There is no fail-safe test to spot vulnerable pilots as psychological tests are not widespread.
Improved psychological screening procedures worldwide are inevitable as a key safety recommendation to come out of the investigation into the Germanwings crash.
The tragedy has of course sent shockwaves through an airline that prides itself on the rigorous selection and training of its pilots, with industry observers saying it is crucial for parent company Lufthansa to focus on its safety credentials as it tries to reassure customers.
Shares in Lufthansa hit four-month lows last week after the French prosecutor revealed Lubitz’s actions.
While the disaster seems to have been caused by one man, there is no wilful negligence nor technical failings on the airline’s part which means that the reputation and image of both Germanwings and Lufthansa should not take too much of a hit.
However, the airlines are still answerable on the level of health tests their pilots endure bearing in mind Lubitz’s vulnerability was not spotted nor reported early on.
Ultimately, when we buy a ticket, we do so based on price, service, punctuality, but most of all safety and security take precedence in much of our decision-making.
If we are unhappy about an airline’s safety record or an experience of poor crew service, we opt for an alternative. It is human nature.
Neither Germanwings nor Lufthansa will suffer a serious knock for what happened last month because of their impeccable safety record.
But rest assured, both German carriers and every airline’s training departments will be beefing up their crew manuals and procedures to hammer home the message of the importance of responsibility and accountability.
But airlines will need to step up a gear and see how far they can probe even further individual medical records that are seen as confidential between patient and doctor.
In Lubitz’s case, he was treated by a clinic that refused to release details of his medical condition which may have contributed to the killing of all passengers and crew on flight 9525.
♦ Updesh Kapur (below) is a PR & communications professional, columnist, aviation, hospitality and travel analyst. He can be followed on twitter @updeshkapur
