Investigators reveal Germanwings co-pilot hid his medical condition from the company

A Germanwings plane has crashed in France, with all on board feared dead
(Image credit: Facebook/Germanwings)

German investigators announced Friday that Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings plane, had intentionally hidden his medical condition from his employer. The news comes after a report that Lubitz had spent more than a year receiving psychiatric treatment after suffering from a "serious depressive episode."

Investigators searched Lubitz's home and found a ripped-up doctor's note that authorized Lubitz to take time off from work due to an illness. The investigators added that they did not find "any indication of a political or religious" nature in the home, nor did they find a suicide note.

The investigators are looking into Lubitz's family background as well as a potential history of psychological problems, including depression.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Lubitz is believed to have intentionally crashed a Germanwings plane in the French Alps on Tuesday, killing all 150 people on board.

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.

Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.