Germanwings Flight 4U9525 Pilot Was Locked Out of Cockpit Before Horrific Crash in French Alps

The NY Times is reporting that the pilot was locked out of the cockpit at the time of the Germanwings Flight 4U9525 crashed in the French Alps killing all aboard. According to the black box flight recorder, only the co-pilot was in the cockpit. As the pilot knocked on the door and then tried to smash the cockpit door down, there was no response from the co-pilot.

As officials struggled Wednesday to explain why a jet with 150 people on board crashed amid a relatively clear sky, an investigator said evidence from a cockpit voice recorder indicated one pilot left the cockpit before the plane’s descent and was unable to get back in.

A senior military official involved in the investigation described “very smooth, very cool” conversation between the pilots during the early part of the flight from Barcelona, Spain, to Düsseldorf, Germany. Then the audio indicated that one of the pilots left the cockpit and could not re-enter.

“The guy outside is knocking lightly on the door, and there is no answer,” the investigator said. “And then he hits the door stronger, and no answer. There is never an answer.”

He said, “You can hear he is trying to smash the door down.”