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Pilot screening questioned after Germanwings Flight 9525 crash

The intentional crash of the Germanwings plane at the hands of co-pilot Andreas Lubitz has raised questions about how pilots are screened before being allowed to fly commercial flights
How U.S. pilots are screened before being allowed to fly 02:01

WASHINGTON -- Revelations from French prosecutors that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz intentionally crashed Germanwings Flight 9525 have air travelers around the world wondering, and worrying, about the crew in their cockpit.

A file photo of the man believed to be Andreas Guenter Lubit, who was the co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525
A file photo of the man believed to be Andreas Lubitz, who was the co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525, which crashed March 24, 2015, in the French Alps. AP Photo

In the U.S., commercial pilots are screened and evaluated prior to being hired. On the job, they undergo medical exams every six months for pilots 40 or older and every year for those who are younger.

But determining a pilot's mental and emotional state can be difficult. Dr. Gary Miller is a designated aviation medical examiner. He says pilots have to self-report if they're having feelings of depression.

"They're legally required to disclose those things under penalty of jail and fine, if you fail to do so," Miller says. "But, of course, people can lie."

To prevent suicide by plane or hijackings, after September 11th U.S. airlines reinforced cockpit doors and added new protocols.

Germanwings crash "deliberate," officials say 11:49

When a pilot exits the cockpit, a flight attendant or relief pilot must replace him, so that the other crew member is never alone. Before the Germanwings crash, Europe did not have the same guidelines.

According to the Aviation Safety Network, worldwide there have been at least nine pilot suicides since 1976 and more than 1,000 hijackings since 1931.

How pilot intentionally crashing Germanwings jet changes investigation 01:40

All 217 passengers and crew died when Egypt Air Flight 990 crashed off the coast of Nantucket in 1999. U.S. investigators believe the co-pilot was to blame.

"We have thousands and thousands and thousands of flights and thousands of pilots, so it's not unexpected that a few people are going to have emotional problems or psychological problems," MIT professor of aeronautics John Hansman says. "So we have to have systems that are robust for that."

Changes in the aviation industry usually take years. But within hours of the Germanwings disclosure Thursday, some European and all Canadian airlines made it mandatory for two people to be in the cockpit at all times.

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