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Germanwings crash: Andreas Lubitz quietly buried in hometown amid fierce debate over air safety controls Germanwings crash: Andreas Lubitz quietly buried in hometown amid fierce debate over air safety controls
(about 2 hours later)
The co-pilot who crashed a Germanwings flight into the French Alps in March has been given a quiet burial in his hometown. The co-pilot who crashed a Germanwings flight into the French Alps killing himself and all 149 passengers on board has been given a silent burial in his hometown.
Andreas Lubitz, who locked the pilot out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed the Germanwings 4U9525 flight to Düsseldorf on March 24th killing 150 people, was buried in the small town of Montabaur in south west Germany. Andreas Lubitz, who crashed the Germanwings plane he was co-piloting into the French Alps in March, killing everyone aboard, was buried in his hometown of Montabaur, Germany, yesterday.
The occasion was ignored by nearly all media outlets with the local paper, the Rhein-Zeitung, writing just one line about it on the front page, leaving a large blank space where photos would have been on its front page. The 27-year-old’s family gathered in silence to bury his remains and the local newspaper, the Rhein-Zeitung, only covered the service with a single line.
It said: “Germanwings co-pilot Andreas L (29), who deliberately flew 149 people to their deaths in March, was buried in complete silence on Saturday in his hometown of Montabaur.” It is as yet unclear whether his fiancée, with whom he shared a flat in Dusseldorf, was present at the private ceremony.
Below the brief article, a statement from the newspaper said editors knew about the funeral in advance but decided only to cover it with a single paragraph. Lubitz's low-key burial contrasted with the public funerals of his victims, including 16 pupils and two teachers from the Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium high school (Getty) Depressed Lubitz, who had researched suicide before the crash, locked the pilot out of the Airbus A320 jet so he could crash into the mountainside on March 24.
Since the Germanwings disaster there has been a much greater focus on what may be going on in the minds of pilots (AFP) Editor Christian Lindner wrote in his column that his photographers could have sold photos of mourners to media outlets around the world along with an “unnecessary” report but that he would rather have peace and privacy for the residents of Montabaur, the victims’ families and the pilot’s relatives. French prosecutors have launched a criminal inquiry to investigate whether any mistakes were made in assessing the Lubitz’s mental health.
It comes as German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt is due to announce a report into improving air safety from a group of experts in Berlin. Manslaughter charges could be brought if there is evidence Lubitz’s mental health problems were not properly addressed or brought to the attention of the airline.
The 27-year-old had sought treatment from "dozens of doctors" for depression and feared his career as a pilot was at risk due to an eye condition. Lubitz had been signed off work for unspecified medical reasons on the fortnight leading up to the disaster, but officials previously said ripped up letters found at his home suggested he hid his illness from employers.
According to German newspaper, Bild am Sonntag, in the days before the crash he searched for suicide techniques and information on how to lock cockpit doors. Although investigators have not confirmed what the notes said, his struggle with severe depression dated back to 2009, when he took a break of several months in his flight training.
  Lubitz was treated for “suicidal tendencies” before he qualified, German officials in Dusseldorf confirmed, but more recent doctors’ visits had not uncovered a desire to kill himself or anyone else.
Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings, has come under fire for allowing Lubitz to fly and did admit he had told them about his history of depression during his training when he took several months off from his training in 2009. Evidence from the crashed plane’s black boxes suggests that Lubitz locked the cockpit door when the pilot left for a toilet break and used controls to override the entry code, downing the plane as the pilot desperately tried to break back in with a crow bar.
But they stress he passed all medical and suitability tests after that point. He sped up the aircraft’s descent as it hurtled towards the earth, investigators said, obliterating it on the slopes at 430mph as passengers screamed.
They have now told the relatives of the victims to turn to the state for compensation, according to the Local in Germany. A rescue helicopter searches the crash site in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, southern France (Getty) Lufthansa, the parent company of Germanwings, said Lubitz informed his training school of a period of severe depression in 2009 but subsequently passed all medical and "fit to fly" tests, which have since come under scrutiny.
According to German law, victims of violent acts can claim compensation from the government. Germanwings’ parent company Lufthansa has told victims’ relatives to turn to the state for compensation.
But Christof Wellens, a lawyer for 15 of of the victims’ families, said he “could not understand” Lufthansa’s advice and said it demonstrated the airline was clueless about the victims. A spokesman for the airline, which offered an immediate payment of €50,000 per passenger to their families, said under German law victims of violent acts have a claim on the government for compensation, including for events in German-registered aircraft.
French air accident authority BEA, has said it would study the “systemic weaknesses” that might have led to the crash, including whether the psychological profiling was adequate. Victims' lawyer Christof Wellens said he “could not understand” the advice and said it showed Lufthansa was clueless about helping the victims' families, including the 15 he represents.
Families may be entitled to further compensation from the airline depending on the law in their home countries.