The German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, citing unnamed French investigators, reported that remains of co-pilot Andreas Lubitz were identified on Saturday using DNA matching. The 27-year-old Lubitz’s remains could yield important clues about the reasons for the crash, including whether he was using drugs or on depression medications, forensic scientists told Der Spiegel.
Lubitz was alone the cockpit of the Airbus A320 when the plane struck a mountainside in the French Alps, authorities have said. A French prosecutor said Lubitz intentionally flew the plane into the ground, even as the captain, who was outside the cockpit, banged on the door demanding to be let back in and passengers screamed in terror.
In the days since the crash it has emerged that Lubitz had undisclosed mental health issues and also sought treatment for vision problems that may have affected his ability to fly a plane.
Witness Scenes From the Plane Crash in the French Alps
Flowers are left in front of the monument in homage to the victims of Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 in Le Vernet, southeastern France, March 27, 2015. Alberto Estevez—EPAGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy pay respect to victims in front of the mountain where a Germanwings jetliner crashed in Le Vernet, France, March 25, 2015. Christophe Ena—APA search and rescue worker at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 that crashed in the French Alps, above the town of Seyne-les-Alpes, southeastern France, March 25, 2015.Guillaume Horcajuelo—EPAHelicopters of the French gendarmerie and emergency services fly over Seyne-les-Alpes as they resume works to recover the bodies and the remains of the Airbus A320 that crashed the previous day in the Alps, March 25, 2015.Alberto Estevez—EPAFrench military personnel walk up the mountainside near Seyne, France on March 25, 2015.Peter Macdiarmid—Getty ImagesGendarmerie and French mountain rescue teams arrive near the site of the Germanwings plane crash near the French Alps on March 24, 2015Patrick Aventurier—Getty ImagesFrench emergency services workers and members of the French gendarmerie gather in Seyne, south-eastern France, on March 24, 2015, near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps.Boris Horvat—AFP/Getty ImagesAn aerial photo shows what appears to be wreckage from the crash of a Germanwings plane in the French Alps, between Barcelona and Digne, March 24, 2015.Duclet Stephane—ZUMAPRESS.comRelatives of passengers of the Germanwings plane crashed in French Alps are seen at the Terminal 2 of the Barcelona El Prat airport on March 24, 2015 in Barcelona. David Ramos—Getty ImagesA worker from a Swissport, a Service Company who is handling for Germanwings airlines, works inside an office in the Barcelona airport, March 24, 2015. Emilio Morenatti—APPeople stand in front of candles and flowers placed in front of the Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium in Haltern, Germany, March 24, 2015. Imago/Zumapress
