Airbus 320 has crashed in the French Alps. It descended from cruising altitude until impact over a period of 8 minutes. (Decent rate ~ 4,000’ per min.) No distress call was transmitted. The weather was reportedly good. From the wreckage it appears that the aircraft was intact when it hit the ground.

I’m struggling to think of any explanation other than human intervention.

You’re right, the only other possible explanation I can think of is Aliens.

the germans arent as good at hide and seek as the malaysians…

the last thing I dreamed of last night was watching a plane crash…

Peak Warming Man said:

You’re right, the only other possible explanation I can think of is Aliens.

It could be the plane itself or the pilots or a meteorite from space hit it

They have the black box, so the answer won’t be too far away.

The (albeit, limited) info at hand suggests it just steadily lost altitude a couple of minutes once it reached cruising altitude, yet there were a couple of speed alterations to slow it down which suggests the pilots may have been in control.

I think the two simplest scenarios are:

1. Pilots were incapacitated (possibly through a malfunction of the cabin pressurisation system) and the plane just went down of its own accord, with the speed discrepancies being caused by local headwinds,

or

2. Control system failure and the pilots thought the plane had enough altitude until their last words – “What’s a mountain goat doing all the way up here?”

Arts said:

the last thing I dreamed of last night was watching a plane crash…

Where is the person who usually says “Burn the witch!”

Oh, not here…

“Burn the witch”!

Peak Warming Man said:

You’re right, the only other possible explanation I can think of is Aliens.

I’m struggling to think of any explanation other than human intervention.

——

I was told that these things operate on a version of windows running java…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A320_family

The A320 was the first civil airliner to include a full digital fly-by-wire flight control system. Its design also included a full glass cockpit rather than the hybrid versions found in previous airliners. Digital head-up displays are available.

The A320’s flight deck is equipped with Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) with side-stick controllers. At the time of the aircraft’s introduction, the behaviour of the fly-by-wire system (equipped with full flight envelope protection) was a new experience for many pilots. The A320 features an Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) which gives the flight crew information about all the systems of the aircraft. With the exception of the very earliest A320s, most can be upgraded to the latest avionics standards, keeping the aircraft advanced even after two decades in service.

Early A320 planes used the Intel 80186 and Motorola 68010, in 1988 Intel 80286 family CPUs. The flight management computer contained six CPUs, running in three logical pairs, with 2.5 megabytes of memory.

transition said:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A320_family

The A320 was the first civil airliner to include a full digital fly-by-wire flight control system. Its design also included a full glass cockpit rather than the hybrid versions found in previous airliners. Digital head-up displays are available.

The A320’s flight deck is equipped with Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) with side-stick controllers. At the time of the aircraft’s introduction, the behaviour of the fly-by-wire system (equipped with full flight envelope protection) was a new experience for many pilots. The A320 features an Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) which gives the flight crew information about all the systems of the aircraft. With the exception of the very earliest A320s, most can be upgraded to the latest avionics standards, keeping the aircraft advanced even after two decades in service.

Early A320 planes used the Intel 80186 and Motorola 68010, in 1988 Intel 80286 family CPUs. The flight management computer contained six CPUs, running in three logical pairs, with 2.5 megabytes of memory.

I’ve checked that against my own personal database and it looks accurate enough.

http://news.aviation-safety.net/2013/12/22/list-of-aircraft-accidents-caused-by-pilot-suicide/

so sad.. not only that this person wanted to commit suicide, but that he felt the need to take innocent people with him.. people that trusted him and his skills… :(

I’ve read and heard the reports. And I’m still unclear as to why deliberate is the verdict. Couldn’t unconscious be a possibility?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-26/germanwings-co-pilot-andreas-lubitz-crashed-plane-deliberately/6351854

One report says the breathing in the cockpit was normal. I’d expect some sort of adrenalization and faster breathing in a deliberate act.

Perhaps I’m just too inclined to see good in people. But unless there was a note, or something else on the recording that hasn’t been newsified, I think there are alternative explanations.

buffy said:

I’ve read and heard the reports. And I’m still unclear as to why deliberate is the verdict. Couldn’t unconscious be a possibility?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-26/germanwings-co-pilot-andreas-lubitz-crashed-plane-deliberately/6351854

One report says the breathing in the cockpit was normal. I’d expect some sort of adrenalization and faster breathing in a deliberate act.

I also couldn’t help asking myself questions about this. I have no visualisation of the manual locking switch for the grenade proof pilot cabin door. Is it possible he could have collapsed on the switch? This is the reason a second person is required whenever one of the two pilots has to leave the cockpit.

buffy said:

Perhaps I’m just too inclined to see good in people. But unless there was a note, or something else on the recording that hasn’t been newsified, I think there are alternative explanations.

Yes.

Notable the percentage of actual proven suicides is very low.

buffy said:

I’ve read and heard the reports. And I’m still unclear as to why deliberate is the verdict. Couldn’t unconscious be a possibility?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-26/germanwings-co-pilot-andreas-lubitz-crashed-plane-deliberately/6351854

One report says the breathing in the cockpit was normal. I’d expect some sort of adrenalization and faster breathing in a deliberate act.

Access to the cockpit is possible if you have the right pin-code but someone inside the cockpit has 30 seconds to override the pin and keep the door locked.

buffy said:

I’ve read and heard the reports. And I’m still unclear as to why deliberate is the verdict. Couldn’t unconscious be a possibility?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-26/germanwings-co-pilot-andreas-lubitz-crashed-plane-deliberately/6351854

One report says the breathing in the cockpit was normal. I’d expect some sort of adrenalization and faster breathing in a deliberate act.

That was my first thought when I read the news report.

Witty Rejoinder said:

buffy said:

I’ve read and heard the reports. And I’m still unclear as to why deliberate is the verdict. Couldn’t unconscious be a possibility?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-26/germanwings-co-pilot-andreas-lubitz-crashed-plane-deliberately/6351854

One report says the breathing in the cockpit was normal. I’d expect some sort of adrenalization and faster breathing in a deliberate act.

Access to the cockpit is possible if you have the right pin-code but someone inside the cockpit has 30 seconds to override the pin and keep the door locked.

and if he has collapsed on the switch?

buffy said:

I’ve read and heard the reports. And I’m still unclear as to why deliberate is the verdict. Couldn’t unconscious be a possibility?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-26/germanwings-co-pilot-andreas-lubitz-crashed-plane-deliberately/6351854

One report says the breathing in the cockpit was normal. I’d expect some sort of adrenalization and faster breathing in a deliberate act.

The door can only be locked by a deliberate act by a conscious person

Actually, deliberate won’t be the verdict until a full investigation cannot prove otherwise.

roughbarked said:

and if he has collapsed on the switch?

It looked like a very small switch in the footage I saw.

buffy said:

Perhaps I’m just too inclined to see good in people. But unless there was a note, or something else on the recording that hasn’t been newsified, I think there are alternative explanations.

Chemtrails leaked into the cockpit

Witty Rejoinder said:

roughbarked said:

and if he has collapsed on the switch?

It looked like a very small switch in the footage I saw.

A collapsed or sleeping person still only needs a small focus point of their body weight to flick and hold a switch.

buffy said:

I’ve read and heard the reports. And I’m still unclear as to why deliberate is the verdict. Couldn’t unconscious be a possibility?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-26/germanwings-co-pilot-andreas-lubitz-crashed-plane-deliberately/6351854

One report says the breathing in the cockpit was normal. I’d expect some sort of adrenalization and faster breathing in a deliberate act.

I suspect they also have access to information they are not telling us.. that has lead them to the verdict

>Couldn’t unconscious be a possibility?

gather that’s where much of the work will be
inputs to the controls will be studied in detail
that’n the audio’n some determination made
also possibility emulated created uncertainty

roughbarked said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

buffy said:

I’ve read and heard the reports. And I’m still unclear as to why deliberate is the verdict. Couldn’t unconscious be a possibility?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-26/germanwings-co-pilot-andreas-lubitz-crashed-plane-deliberately/6351854

One report says the breathing in the cockpit was normal. I’d expect some sort of adrenalization and faster breathing in a deliberate act.

Access to the cockpit is possible if you have the right pin-code but someone inside the cockpit has 30 seconds to override the pin and keep the door locked.

and if he has collapsed on the switch?

Some discussions on the behavior of the plane as it was going down, that it behaved as if it were on manual control rather than autopilot.

Prosecutor Brice Robin said the action of manipulating “what is called the flight monitoring system in order to embark on the descent of the plane”, could “only be deliberate”.

“I repeat, when he was alone, in charge of the Airbus, the co-pilot started the flight monitoring system to get the plane to descend,” he said.

Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz is described by acquaintances in his hometown of Montabaur as a “normal guy” and “nice young man”.

“The action on this altitude selector can only be voluntary, I repeat action on this altitude selector can only be deliberate.”

Carmen_Sandiego said:

roughbarked said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Access to the cockpit is possible if you have the right pin-code but someone inside the cockpit has 30 seconds to override the pin and keep the door locked.

and if he has collapsed on the switch?

Some discussions on the behavior of the plane as it was going down, that it behaved as if it were on manual control rather than autopilot.

There is also ACARS data released that supposedly shows that someone had made two separate altitude adjustments – one to 13,000’ and then another to 96’.

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Carmen_Sandiego said:

roughbarked said:

and if he has collapsed on the switch?

Some discussions on the behavior of the plane as it was going down, that it behaved as if it were on manual control rather than autopilot.

There is also ACARS data released that supposedly shows that someone had made two separate altitude adjustments – one to 13,000’ and then another to 96’.

So human intervention was employed somehow. Anyway, the destruction was total.

roughbarked said:

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Some discussions on the behavior of the plane as it was going down, that it behaved as if it were on manual control rather than autopilot.

There is also ACARS data released that supposedly shows that someone had made two separate altitude adjustments – one to 13,000’ and then another to 96’.

So human intervention was employed somehow. Anyway, the destruction was total.

Some airlines mandate the presence of two people in the cockpit at all times.
If one pilot leaves the cockpit then, generally, the senior Flight Attendant is present until the pilot returns.