Search aircraft find the remains of Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 scattered all over an Alpine mountainside: Riddle over why pilots didn't send SOS despite taking eight minutes to fall 32,000 feet
This is the first picture of the wreckage of Germanwings Flight
4U 9525 (main picture) after it crashed in a remote region of the French
Alps en reoute from Spain to Germany. All 144 passengers and six crew
are presumed down - including two babies and 16 German schoolchildren
all from the same school. The final moments of the flight are shrouded
in mystery after air traffic controllers said they received no SOS
despite the jet nosediving 32,000ft in just eight minutes. Earlier
reports quoted aviation sources in France as saying the pilots issued a
Mayday distress signal and requested an emergency descent minutes before
it hit the ground. However, civil aviation authorities later said air
traffic controllers did not receive an emergency call from the crew. 'It
was air traffic control that decided to declare the plane was in
distress because there was no contact with the crew of the plane,' a
source told AFP. Devastated families today gathered at Dusseldorf
Airport (top right) to await news, while emergency crews gathered near
Seyne-les-Alpes in the French Alps to move into the area. (bottom right)
'There is nothing left but debris and bodies': First pictures of
obliterated Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 after it crashed into Alpine
mountain at 400MPH - amid riddle over why pilots didn't send SOS
- Airbus A320 was carrying 144 passengers - including two babies and 16 German children - plus six crew members
- Plane plummetted into remote area of the French Alps en route from Barcelona in Spain to Dusseldorf in Germany
- Early reports said the pilots issued a Mayday signal and requested an emergency descent after reaching 38,000ft
- But sources later denied air traffic controllers received any such call, saying it was them that declared emergency
- Some 150 firefighters and police have been deployed to the scene, but warn it could take days to retrieve any bodies
- One of plane's black box recorders has been found and will be examined immediately, says French interior minister
These
are the first shocking pictures of the obliterated Germanwings Flight
4U 9525 after it ploughed into an Alpine mountainside at more than
400mph, killing all 150 people on board including 16 schoolchildren and
two babies.
Images
from the first rescue helicopters to reach the remote crash site shows
wreckage scattered across hundreds of metres, with no debris larger than
a small car.
Christophe
Castaner, deputy of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region where the jet
crashed, tweeted: 'Horrible images in this mountain landscape. There is
nothing left, but debris and bodies.'
And
Christian Vigne, a member of the first helicopter crew to arrive at the
scene said the plane had 'completely disintegrated' and added bodies
were 'strewn over an area of some 400 square metres'.
All
144 passengers and six crew were feared dead after the Airbus A320
crashed in a remote region of the French Alps en route from Spain to
Germany. Two leading opera singers were among the victims, it emerged
last night.
One of the plane's black box recorders has been found and will be examined immediately, France's interior minister said.
The
images emerged as confusion reigned over the final minutes of the
doomed Airbus A320 after air traffic controllers claimed they received
no SOS despite the jet nosediving 32,000ft in just eight minutes.
Scroll down for videos
Disaster: A rescue helicopter flies
over wreckage of a Germanwings Airbus A320 plane that crashed between
the towns of Barcelonnette and Digne in the French Alps. All 150 people
on board - including two babies and 16 children from the same German
school - are presumed dead
Obliterated: Debris reportedly from
the Airbus A320 is seen on the mountainside. Mystery surrounds the final
moments of the plassenger plane after air traffic controllers claimed
they received no SOS signal despite the jet nosediving 32,000ft in just
eight minutes
Destroyed: Crews
in the first helicopter to reach the site said they had seen no
survivors and reported finding chunks of plane the size of a car
About 150
firefighters and mountain police are being deployed to the scene,
although officials warn it could take days to retrieve any bodies
Photographs taken of the scene this evening show what appears to be sections of charred aircraft on the mountainside
Views of the crash site show a handful
of rescue workers starting their work among pieces of debris scattered
across the mountainside
Pieces of debris, including what
appear to be parts of the aircraft's distinctive orange and red tail
fin, are seen on the ridges of the slopes
Earlier
reports quoted aviation sources in France as saying the pilots issued a
Mayday distress signal and requested an emergency descent minutes
before it hit the ground.
However, civil aviation authorities later denied that air traffic controllers received any such call.
'The
aircraft did not itself make a distress call, but it was the
combination of the loss of radio contact and the aircraft's descent
which led the controller to implement the distress phase,' a spokesman
for the French civil aviation authority said.
Germanwings
chief executive Thomas Winkelmann said the aircraft began descending at
10.45am, a minute after reaching cruising height of 38,000ft.
This
descent lasted eight minutes, he told reporters in Cologne. Radar and
air traffic control contact broke off at 10.53am when it is understood
to have crashed at more than 400mph.
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Germanwings
said it was thought that 63 of the passengers on board were Germans,
while reports from Spain suggest that around 45 Spaniards may have been
on the flight. A German opera house has named bass baritone Oleg Bryjak
as among those killed in the crash.
Mr
Winkelmann said the captain on board was experienced and been with the
airline and with Germanwings' parent company Lufthansa for more than 10
years and had clocked up 6,000 flying hours on this particular Airbus
model.
He said the plane had had a normal service at Dusseldorf yesterday and its last major check-up had been in the summer of 2013.
He
added that teams from Germanwings were in Dusseldorf with the families
of those on board and that Lufthansa and Germanwings' technical staff
were on their way to the crash site to assist with the investigation.
Scattered: Images
from the first rescue helicopters to reach the remote crash site shows
wreckage spread across hundreds of metres
Vast wilderness: An aerial view of the
area in the French Alps where the Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed,
between Barcelonette and Digne
Remote access: A rescue helicopter
from the French Securite Civile flies towards the French Alps during a
rescue operation near the crash site of an Airbus A320, near
Seyne-les-Alpes
Isolated: A helicopter of the French
civil security services flies near Seyne, south-eastern France near the
site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps
Rescue helicopters from the French
Securite Civile and the Air Force are seen in the French Alps during a
rescue operation near the crash site of an Airbus A320, near
Seyne-les-Alpes
Members of the French gendarmerie gather in Seyne near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed
Rescue workers and gendarme gather in
Seyne-les-Alpes as search-and-rescue teams struggle to reach the remote
crash site. One of the plane's black box recorders has been found and
will be examined immediately, France's interior minister said
| TIME (CET) | EVENT | ALTITUDE (FEET) | MPH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:01 | Flight 4U9525 departs Barcelona for Dusseldorf | ||
| 10:27 | Flight reaches its cruising altitude without incident | 38,000 | 520 |
| 10:29 | Aircraft crosses the French coast just east of Marseille | 38,000 | 532 |
| 10:30 | Aircraft continues at its cruising altitude | 38,000 | 547 |
| 10:31 | The aircraft appears to have dropped more than 2,000 feet | 37,975 | 549 |
| 10:32 | The pilot fails to inform Air Traffic control of the drop in altitude | 35,575 | 544 |
| 10:33 | The jet continues along its course but has lost almost 8,000 feet | 32,625 | 544 |
| 10:34 | Radar returns show the jet starts to increase its speed | 28,875 | 552 |
| 10:35 | After five minutes, the aircraft has dropped almost 14,000 feet | 24,650 | 560 |
| 10:36 | The doomed jet passed over Montagnac-Montepezat | 20,300 | 547 |
| 10:37 | Next the jet passed Puimoisson Airport continuing its rapid descent | 17,050 | 518 |
| 10:38 | Seven minutes into the emergency the jet had lost 25,000 feet | 13,300 | 496 |
| 10:39 | Now the jet was passing the 4,000ft high Upper Bleone Forest | 10,475 | 473 |
| 10:40 | One minute from impact, the jet was 4,000 feet above the ground | 8,250 | 442 |
| 10:41 | Air traffic controllers lose contact with the aircraft | 6,800 | 435 |
| 10:47 | French Air Traffic declares an emergency | ||
| Source: FlightRadar24 |
Debris from the jet, operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline, was found near Barcelonnette
Debris
from the jet, operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline, has
been found scattered over a wide area near Barcelonnette in an
inhospitable region of the Alps.
About
150 firefighters and high mountain police are being deployed to the
scene, although officials warn it could take days to retrieve any
bodies.
One
witness, a local farmer named only as Jean-Christophe led rescuers to
the scene. He told French radio: 'The plane smacked straight into the
wall of the mountain and just blew up completely.
'I
saw smoke, bits of plane, none very big. Everything has exploded and
sprayed over the scene. There is really nothing left. Given the impact I
cannot imagine the bodies are whole.'
Speaking
about the discovery of the black box, Tony Cable, a former Air Accident
Investigator, said: ‘It should be a fairly rapid process to download it
depending on whether it is damaged severely or not and may well give
some rapid answers as to what has happened.
'Discovering why it actually happened may take somewhat longer.’
Aviation expert Chris Yates told MailOnline that it was difficult to explain why the pilots would not send an emergency call.
He
said: 'Air crash investigators will need to examine the black boxes,
the flight data recorder and the voice recorder to determine exactly
what happened.
French emergency services workers and
members of the French gendarmerie gather in Seyne, south-eastern France
near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps
French firefighters prepare to take-off from Digne-les-Bains for the site where the Airbus A320 crashed
French Interior Minister Bernard
Cazeneuve (centre) is sheltered from the rain upon his arrival in Seyne,
close to the crash site
'It
is possible that the pilots sent a distress signal that was not received
by Air Traffic Control. A thorough examination of the recorders will
help provide a precise sequence of events.'
Victim: Opera singer Oleg Bryjak was named as one of the victims of the crash
Experts
said that while the Airbus had descended sharply, its rate of descent
did not suggest it had simply fallen out of the sky, prompting
speculation that the pilots may have suddenly fallen unconscious.
Grieving
families, including those of the 16 schoolchildren killed in the crash,
have been gathering at Dusseldorf airport in Germany, where the jet was
due to land, to await news of the rescue and recovery operation.
The
first victim to be named was opera singer Oleg Bryjak, whose colleagues
at The Deutsche Oper am Rhein, in Dusseldorf, paid tribute to a 'great
performer and a great person'.
The
opera house said Mr Bryjak was on his way back from Barcelona, where he
had sung Alberich in Richard Wagner's Siegfried at the Gran Teatre del
Liceu.
Director Christoph Meyer said: 'We have lost a great performer and a great person in Oleg Bryjak. We are stunned.'
French president Francois Hollande said he did not expect there to be any survivors.
He said: 'It's a loss, a tragedy which has happened on our soil.
'I
am seeking information about homes in the area it came down. It's
difficult place to access. In the meantime solidarity must prevail.'
He said he believes most of the passengers were German, Spanish and Turkish.
Speaking
tonight, President Obama said his thoughts were with the families of
those killed in the crash. He added that he had spoken to German
Chancellor Angela Merkel and planned to call Spanish President Mariano
Rajoy later in the day.
According
to flight data from FlightAware 24, the aircraft was cruising at
38,000 feet at 532mph at 9.30am local time (10.30am GMT).
It started losing altitude to 37,975 by 10.31am with the speed reportedly increasing to 548mph.
But 10.41am, the last reported radar returns had the aircraft descending to 6,800 feet at 434mph.
The aircraft took around ten minutes to drop 31,200 feet.
The
cause of the crash was not immediately known, with weather conditions
described as good in the region and the airliner flying at an altitude
high above the Alps.
Shock: A man who appears to have been
waiting for missing Flight 4U 9525 reacts at Dusseldorf airport where
the Airbus A320 was due to land
Grief: People waiting for Flight 4U 9525 are led away by staff at the airport in Dusseldorf
People waiting for flight 4U 9525 console each other as news of the crash filters through at Dusseldorf airport
Relatives of the plane crash
passengers are seen leaving Terminal 2 of Barcelona El Prat airport,
where the plane took off today
The area is inaccessible for vehicles but helicopters are able to deposit vehicles at the site.
About
150 firefighters and high mountain police are being deployed to the
scene, including 40 officers from Grimp – a unit within the Fire Service
that specializes in rescue operations in dangerous and inhospitable
environments.
Fifty vehicles, including 4x4s, quads and ambulances, are also being deployed. Dog teams will also investigate at the scene.
It
emerged today that a safety warning was issued last year when a sister
plane of the one involved in today's disaster suddenly lost altitude.
The
European Air Safety Agency (EASA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness
Directive after an Airbus A321 went into an uncontrollable dive north of
Pamplona, Spain before pulling out.
According
to the safety warning, the Lufthansa jet, with 109 passengers and crew
aboard, was at 31,000 feet when it started to descend without any input
from the pilot, at a rate of 4,000 feet per minute, before the flight
crew managed to regain control at 28,000 feet.
According to the EASA, a safety system designed to protect the jet reacted to incorrect data due to a faulty sensor.
The safety warning related to all Airbus A318, A319, A320 and A321 – including the Airbus A320 involved in today's disaster.
Stunned: A relative (centre) of
passengers on the Germanwings plane that crashed in French Alps arrives
at the Terminal 2 of the Barcelona El Prat airport, where the plane took
off
Relatives of passengers on the
Germanwings plane crashed in French Alps arrive at the Terminal 2 of the
Barcelona El Prat airport to await news of the rescue operation
HORROR AS 16 GERMAN PUPILS FROM SAME CLASS DIE ON DOOMED GERMANWINGS FLIGHT - BUT THEY NEARLY MISSED IT WHEN ONE STUDENT FORGOT THEIR PASSPORT
A
class of 16 German school pupils and two teachers are among the victims
of the doomed Germanwings Airbus A320 which crashed in the French Alps
today, killing all 150 people aboard.
The
students - all of whom are understood to be in their teens - were
pupils at the English-speaking Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium in
Haltern-am-See, not far from the city of Dusseldorf.
The
Year 10 pupils were returning home from a week-long exchange programme
in Barcelona at the time of the disaster, which took place in a remote
region of the French Alps en route from Spain to Germany.
This afternoon it emerged that the pupils almost missed the doomed flight when one of the students left her passport behind.
But
in a tragic twist her host family offered to race the girl and all her
travel documents to the airport directly, allowing them to make the
flight in time.
Tragic: In emotional scenes in
Haltern-am-See this afternoon, schoolmates of those killed in the
disaster were seen comforting one another and embracing and they laid
flowers at the school gates
School children mourn for their dead school mates in front of the Joseph-Koenig Gymnasium this afternoon
Grief: Pupils mourn in front of the Joseph-Koenig college in Haltern am See this afternoon
In
emotional scenes in Haltern-am-See this afternoon, schoolmates of those
killed in the disaster were seen comforting one another and embracing
and they laid flowers at the school gates.
One
note, written in memory of a girl called Kati, read: 'Gone, but not
forgotten, lost but always with us. Our hearts are broken but you are
forever in them'.
One
school, pupil called Ibrahim told local TV; 'I lost a good friend on
that plane, 15 years old, a beautiful girl with everything ahead of her.
We are in bits here. We cannot take it in.'
In
a press conference this afternoon the school confirmed that all the
students boarded the plane together, adding: 'This is without doubt the
bleakest day in the history of our town.'
At
a press conference this afternoon, mayor of Haltern am See, Bodo
Klimpel, said employees had spoken with officials in Barcelona who
confirmed that all 16 students and two teachers had boarded the plane
together.
'The
16 students affected were from a Spanish course in Year 10. They took
part in a student exchange in Spain and were flying back this
afternoon,' he said, adding that a coach had been waiting at Dusseldorf
airport to pick the students up.
An emergency counselor stands next to candles and flowers laid in front of Joseph-Koenig school today
In mourning: Students arrive at Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium school in Haltern-am-See to pay their respects to their dead classmates
Police officers and members of staff stand guard outside Joseph-Koenig secondary school in Haltern am See
Two people look at candles in front of the Joseph-Koenig college in Haltern am See this afternoon
A special service will be held at the school on Wednesday.
Earlier
there were rumours that several of the students had missed the
flight after one of them forgot her passport but hopes were subsequently
dashed by Marti Pujol - the mayor of the village of Llinars del Valles
where the children had been staying.
The
mayor revealed that the young girl had realised she left her passport
behind after arriving at the train station with the rest of her
companions to catch a train to Barcelona's El Prat airport
Children
at the Giola Secondary School, where the exchange students were on
exchange, spoke of their sorrow after hearing the news.
One,
Anna Garcia, said: 'One of the German girls left a bag with all her
travel documents inside at her host family's home... So they didn't hold
the rest of the group up, the family took her to the airport and she
was able to board the plane.'
The
director of Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium in Germany said that once it became
clear that the plane was not going to land at Dusseldorf, lessons at
the school were immediately cancelled.
By this afternoon friends and relatives of the dead had taken to social media sites to express their sadness at their deaths.
Students attend a mass in Llinars del Valles, the Spanish town near Barcelona where the German exchange pupils attended school
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls tonight confirmed that all 150 people on board the aircraft were dead.
Alain Vidal, Secretary of State for Transport, Sea and Fisheries, was more final, insisting there were no survivors.
But
Pierre-Henry Brandet, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, told BFM TV
said: 'As long as land resources have not arrived we cannot say for
certain.
'Helicopters and several hundred people are involved in the search and rescue.'
Spanish vice-president Soraya Saez de Sanataria said 45 people with Spanish surnames were travelling on the Airbus A320.
She later said two babies were among the dead.
Spanish
PM Mariano Rajoy said in a hastily-arranged press conference he was
cancelling his diary and heading back to Madrid to head a crisis
cabinet.
He described the accident as a 'dramatic and sad' piece of news but declined to talk about the victims.
IS THIS THE MOMENT SPANISH PM LEANRED OF GERMANWINGS DISASTER? PREMIER'S GRAVE PHONE CALL AS MONARCHS GRIEVE WITH PRESIDENT HOLLANDE IN PARIS
The
Spanish Prime Minister looked shell-shocked after he heard how at least
45 of his citizens had been killed in the Alps plane crash this
morning.
Mariano
Rajoy was being filmed by a TV crew when he received a phone call
shortly after details of the accident began to emerge.
His
visit to the northern Spanish town of Vitoria-Gasteiz took on an air
of grave seriousness as the PM cancelled his scheduled appointments and
headed back to Madrid for a crisis cabinet meeting.
A film crew from the Spanish newspaper 20 Minutos filmed the Spanish Prme Minister receiving a serious phone call this morning
In a hastily-arranged press conference, he said: 'I profoundly regret this very sad accident. We are going to do all we can.'
Meanwhile
Spain's King and Queen abandoned a planned three-day visit to France
after a brief meeting with French president Francois Hollande this
morning.
King
Felipe VI and his wife Letizia had been due to begin a state visit to
Paris today in a trip intended to strengthen links between the two
countries.
President
Hollande welcomed the King and Queen to the Elysee Palace in Paris this
morning, on what was due to be an occasion of celebration.
During
their visit, the Spanish royals were due to open an exhibition of the
works of Spanish painter Diego Velazquez at the Grand Palais.
They
were then planning to go at the City Hall to open a garden in honour of
Spanish fighters in the Second World War, before King Felipe was due to
speak at the National Assembly.
Instead,
there was hushed mood when the meeting took place as both French and
Spanish heads of state started to hear updates of what had happened in
the Alps.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano
Rajoy was on a visit to a northern province this morning when news that
45 of his citizens had been killed in the Germanwings plane crash began
to emerge
Members of the Lower Chamber of Spanish Parliament in Madrid today observed a minute's silence for the victims of the crash
He said: 'I profoundly regret this very sad accident. We are going to do all we can.'
He also confirmed he had spoken with German chancellor Angela Merkel and Spanish King Felipe VI.
The monarch announced today shortly after arriving in France for a three-day official visit that he was cancelling the trip.
As
German leader Angela Merkel prepared to fly to the disaster scene to
show solidarity with the families of the dead, it emerged that children
from a grammar school returning from an exchange programme in Spain were
among the almost 100 German dead.
The youngsters were pupils at the English-speaking Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium in Haltern-am-See, not far from Duesseldorf.
By
Tuesday afternoon, friends and relatives of the dead had taken to
social media sites to express their sadness at their deaths.
According
to one posting, there were 16 children and two teachers among the
victims. It is understood that the pupils were in their teens and all
Spanish language students at the school.
The
jet was travelling from the Spanish coastal city of Barcelona to the
German city of Dusseldorf when it came down in the Le Massif des Trois
Eveches 30km from the town of Barcelonnette.
Surrounded
by mountains and with few clear trails to the snow-covered area,
gaining access to the crash site is expected to take some time.
AIRBUS A320: THE WORKHORSE OF THE SKIES
The
Airbus A320 - the model of aircraft involved in today's accident - is
known as 'the workhorse of the skies' and is used by British Airways and
a number of popular budget airlines.
Since
the first version of the Airbus A320 was released in 1987, around 4,000
have been built and the company say one takes off or lands somewhere in
the world every 2.5 seconds.
The
short-haul, narrow-body airliner is assembled in France, Germany and
China and was ranked as the world's fastest selling aircraft bewteen
2005 and 2007 when it became popular with low-cost airlines.
This Germanwings Airbus A320 carrying 144 passengers and six crew has crashed in the French Alps
And
the single-aisle aircraft, which typically seats around 150 passengers,
'sets industry standards for comfort and operating economy on short- to
medium-haul routes', according to Airbus.
Despite
the Airbus A320 having one of the best safety records in the world, the
widely-used family of aircraft have been involved in a number of
crashes in the three decades they have been used, resulting in scores of
deaths.
One
the first accidents to involve one of the planes happened in the north
east of France, not far from the current crash site, when an Air Inter
flight came down in the Vosges mountains in 1992.
The single-aisle aircraft, which
typically seats around 150 passengers, 'sets industry standards for
comfort and operating economy on short- to medium-haul routes',
according to Airbus. Above, file photo of inside an A320 aircraft
The
Airbus A320-111 was on its approach to Strasbourg airport when it hit
La Bloss Mountain, killing 87 of the 96 people on board.
The
best-known recent incident involving the plane was when a domestic
flight in the US had to put down in the Hudson River in New York.
The
US Airways flight from the city's LaGuardia Airport heading for
Charlotte, North Carolina when it is believed to have flown into a flock
of geese.
One
of the deadliest accidents involving one of the planes was in May 2006,
when Armavia flight 967 crashed into the sea near Sochi, Russia.
Timeline of
terror: This graphic from FlightRadar24 shows the path of the Airbus
A320 until it dropped off the radar after plunging 31,200ft
French President Francois Hollande
(right) attends a meeting with Spain's King Felipe VI (centre) and Queen
Letizia at the Elysee Palace in Paris. The three-day state visit of
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain has been suspended following
the crash of an Airbus operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget
airline
German media reports say there is a wide field of debris visible.
Pierre Polizzi, the owner of a nearby camping site told Al Jazeera: 'The plane crashed just 2km from here, high on a mountain.
'There
was loud noise and then suddenly nothing. At first I thought it came
from fighter jets that often hold drills in the area.'
Lucille Polizzi, 18, said: 'We were outside and then suddenly we heard this big noise.
'I
thought it was an earthquake. We have earthquakes fairly frequently
here, just small ones. I wasn’t afraid. My father thought it was a
fighter jet but we couldn’t see any.
'The
noise lasted probably seven or eight seconds. Then it stopped. There
was nothing for maybe 15 to 30 seconds. Then a second noise.
'The same as the first noise and it lasted about the same time. I wondered then if it was perhaps an avalanche.'
One
eyewitness in the village of Le Vernet, where some wreckage has been
sighted, told Le Parisien newspaper: 'This morning I heard a massive
thud and soon after saw several jets fly over.
'The initial sound was like an avalanche or like the sound of the dynamite they use to cause an avalanche.
'Then
around noon I looked out of the window and saw a column of smoke rising
into the air. We're around 3km away, but also in the mountains and snow
bound.'
One
resident, called Rejane, told BBC News: ‘We heard a strange noise. It
was a deep noise, not very nice, I thought at first it was a small
earthquake.’
Another
witness, on the other side of the mountain in Pra Loup, Hervé Graf, of
Chalet Hotel Les Blancs, told Mail Online: ' We are probably one of the
nearest habitations but saw and heard nothing even though it apparently
crashed into the other side of the mountain from us.
'It
is not a skiable area and there is deep, deep snow. At this time of the
year anyway there are very few tourists or skiers here.'
One
man who was due to be on the flight told BBC News he had 'mixed
emotions' at changing his travel plans. David Cabanes, who flew on
Monday instead, said his flight had been filled with tourists and
families.
German
airline Lufthansa said it has no information yet about the crash of a
jet belonging to its Germanwings subsidiary, describing it as a 'dark
day'.
'We do not yet know what has happened to flight 4U 9525,' Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr said via Twitter.
'My
deepest sympathy goes to the families and friends of our passengers and
crew on 4U 9525. If our fears are confirmed, this is a dark day for
Lufthansa. We hope to find survivors.'
Shares in Lufthansa and Airbus were down 4.7 percent and 2.1 per cent respectively after news of the accident.
Lufthansa was also hit by a four-day pilots' strike last week, although this did not affect Germanwings.
The
European Aviation Safety Agency said: 'It is very sad news that the
Germanwings flight 4U-9525 from Barcelona to Dusseldorf crashed in the
south of France. All our thoughts are with the families of the victims.
'We
are closely monitoring the latest information and we are in contact
with the French authorities, Airbus and other organisations involved, in
order to provide any support possible.'
Airbus,
who manufactured the jet in November 1990, added: 'We have been
informed of an accident involving an A320 Family aircraft and all
efforts are now going towards assessing the situation.
'We will provide further information as soon as available. Our thoughts are with those affected by this tragic event.'
The
crashed A320 is 24 years old and has been with the parent Lufthansa
group since 1991, according to online database airfleets.net.
But
Captain Peter Benn, speaking from Whiteley in Hampshire, told Channel 4
News: ‘When you state the age of the aircraft, it’s important to
emphasise that these planes are maintained to near perfect condition as
can be.
‘This
is one of the most, if not the most, checked transport in the history
of human mobility. The aircraft will have been safely looked after.’
The arrivals board shows flight 4U 9525 from Barcelona without a status at the airport in Dusseldorf
Revealed: Germanwings flight 4U9525 received safety warning just four months ago after sister plane went into tailspin
- Sister plane of that involved in today's crash lost altitude late last year
- Air safety agency sent out directive warning operators to be aware
- Pilot in that incident pulled the plane out of the dive averting problems
- Airbus A320s involved in number of accidents since introduced in 1980s
- Plane is considered extremely safe and is widely used around world
A safety warning was issued last year when a sister plane of that involved in today's accident suddenly lost altitude.
The
European Air Safety Agency (EASA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness
Directive after an Airbus A321 went into an uncontrollable dive north of
Pamplona, Spain before recovering.
According
to the safety warning, the Lufthansa jet, with 109 passengers and crew
aboard, was at 31,000 feet when it started to descend without any input
from the pilot, at a rate of 4,000 feet per minute, before the flight
crew managed to regain control at 28,000 feet.
According to the EASA, a safety system designed to protect the jet reacted to incorrect data due to a faulty sensor.
The safety warning related to all Airbus A318, A319, A320 and A321 – including the Airbus A320 involved in today's disaster.
In response, Airbus created a 'temporary revision' to all of the aircraft's flight manuals.
The
A321 involved in the previous incident is a slightly longer version of
the plane involved in today's crash, carrying an extra 40 passengers.
A similar Airbus plane to that involved in today's crash was put down in the Hudson River, New York in 2009
Since
the first version of the Airbus A320 was released in 1987, around 4,000
have been built and the company say one takes off or lands somewhere in
the world every 2.5 seconds.
The
widely-used Airbus A320 family of aircraft have been involved in a
number of crashes in the three decades they have been used resulting in
scores of deaths.
One
the first accident to involve one of the planes happened in the north
east of France, not far from the current crash site, when an Air Inter
flight came down in the Vosges mountains in 1992.
The
Airbus A320-111 was on its approach to Strasbourg airport when it hit
La Bloss Mountain, killing 87 of the 96 people on board.
The
best-known recent incident involving the plane was when a domestic
flight in the US had to put down in the Hudson River in New York.
The
US Airways flight from the city's LaGuardia Airport heading for
Charlotte, North Carolina when it is believed to have flown into a flock
of geese.
Captain
Chesley Sullenberger was widely praised for landing the plane on the
river, meaning none of the 155 people on board were seriously injured.
One
of the deadliest accidents involving one of the planes was in May 2006,
when Armavia flight 967 crashed into the sea near Sochi, Russia.
All
113 passengers and crew on the A320-211 died after it flew into
terrible weather while approaching the southern Russian city after
taking off from Yerevan, Armenia.
Six
years earlier, 143 people, including two Britons, lost their lives when
a Gulf Air Airbus A320-212 went down in the Gulf of Bahrain after a
three-long flight from Cairo.
A number of factors were blamed for the night-time crash, including pilot error and poor training of staff.
copy http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news
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