Reports: Germanwings Captain Tried to Smash Into Locked Cockpit With Ax
The captain of Germanwings Flight 9525 used an ax in a desperate last-minute attempt to break into the doomed plane's locked cockpit, according to a report in German newspaper Bild and French TV station Métropole 6.
"Andreas, open that door! Open that door!'" the pilot shouted at co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, according to Métropole 6. The pilot then reportedly reached for an ax, which is standard safety equipment on all Airbus A320 planes.
The German newspaper Bild, citing security sources, also reported the pilot tried to slice into the door with an ax, which is part of the normal safety equipment aboard an A320.
But cockpit doors around the world have been made to near combat-grade strength since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The doors now have complex locking systems and reinforced materials that can include Kevlar, a fiber-weave built to resist gunfire.
Earlier Friday, German police announced that Lubitz, who authorities say intentionally crashed the plane, was hiding a medical condition from his employer and had received—and then destroyed—doctor's notes excusing him from work the day of the crash.
