UPDATE, Thursday, Mar. 26, 8:30 a.m.
The co-pilot of the Germanwings plane that tragically crashed in the French Alps on Mar. 24, appears to have "intentionally" destroyed the aircraft according to Marseille Prosecutor Brice Robin.
Robin told reporters (via NBC News) on Thursday, Mar. 26, that the co-pilot Andreas Lubitz was by himself in the cockpit when the plane was forced into its rapid descent. Robin revealed that "banging" sounds were heard on the recorder, which implied that the captain of the plane was attempting to get back into the control room as the aircraft went down.
"If he had been able to open this door," Robin said, "the captain would have done it."
The official added that it appeared the co-pilot was by himself. "Given the information I have at this time," he continued, "I can tell you that [Lubitz] deliberately made possible the loss of altitude of the aircraft."
Robin told reporters it appeared that the co-pilot had "a desire to destroy this plane."
The New York Times reported Thursday that voice recordings from the wreckage of the doomed Germanwings airbus, which tragically crashed in the French Alps on Tuesday, Mar. 24, revealed that one of the pilots was locked out of the cockpit before the crash.
According to the publication, a French military official (who requested anonymity) said how one of the two pilots was heard bashing on the door, trying to regain access to the cockpit in the moments that led up to the crash.
The official told the outlet that a "very smooth, very cool" conversation took place between the pilots early on in the flight from Barcelona, Spain, to Dusseldorf, Germany. The recordings then indicated that one pilot left the cockpit and failed to gain reentry.
"The guy outside is knocking lightly on the door, and there is no answer," the official told the newspaper. "And then he hits the door stronger, and no answer. There is never an answer. You can hear he is trying to smash the door down."
"We don't yet know the reason why one of the guys went out," the official continued. "But what is sure is that at the very end of the flight, the other pilot is alone and does not open the door."
As Us Weekly reported previously, Germanwings Flight 4U9525 crashed into the French Alps early on Tuesday morning, instantly killing all 142 passengers and six crew members, including three Americans.
The official investigation into the cause of the crash continues.
