Shortly afterward, the Airbus A320 hit the ground near the French village of Le Vernet.
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The unidentified private physician was one of a number of doctors seen by the 27-year-old as he wrestled with symptoms of a “psychotic depressive episode” that started in December 2014 and may have lasted until the day of the crash, it said.
On March 24, 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed 100 kilometres northwest of Nice in the French Alps.
On the black-box voice recorder recovered at the crash site, all that is heard from Lubitz is regular breathing but there is no explanation from him for his murderous course of action.
The BEA investigation agency released a report Sunday into the Germanwings crash with several recommendations to avoid such accidents in the future, notably about pilot mental health and screening before a pilot is certified.
In fact, The Associated Press reports, Lubitz had consulted “dozens of doctors” in the weeks leading up to the crash – one of whom referred him to a psychiatric clinic.
The report threw the spotlight on medical confidentiality guidelines in Germany in particular, a country where privacy is a highly sensitive issue due to extensive surveillance under Communism in East Germany and during the Nazi era.
The post Doctor suggested Germanwings pilot seek treatment before crash appeared first on PBS NewsHour.
German doctors did not cooperate with authorities and releasing medical records on the pilot.
All 150 people on board the airliner died in the crash.
Desjardin said German doctors fear losing their jobs or potential prison terms if they unnecessarily report a problem to authorities.
BEA recommends the World Health Organization and the European Commission develop guidelines towards establishing clear rules that would require healthcare providers to inform appropriate authorities when a specific patient’s health is very likely to impact public safety, including when the patient refuses to consent, without legal risk to the healthcare provider.
Confidentiality laws in Germany prevent doctors from sharing information on their patients, but doctors are allowed to break those laws if the doctor believes the patient is a threat to public safety.
Lufthansa said after the crash that it was aware of Lubitz’s depressive episode, but Germanwings, which he joined in 2013, said it had no knowledge of his illness.
BEA’s investigation into the crash is separate from an investigation by French prosecutors, the AP notes.
Doctors who treated Lubitz for depression and mental illness refused to speak with the BEA investigators, according to victims’ family members who were briefed Saturday on the report.
But the BEA did not recommend changes to the current system of flight deck door locks, which are created to keep intruders out.
Meanwhile, pilots also worry about losing their jobs if they reveal they are experiencing mental health issues.
French investigators say that airplane cockpit rules should not be changed despite a crash by a suicidal Germanwings co-pilot who locked his pilot out of the control room.
After the Germanwings crash, some airlines required that at least two people be in the cockpit at any given time.
Since the crash, the airline has replaced its Germanwings brand with the name Eurowings.
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Dr Christof Wellens, a lawyer representing 34 families who lost loved ones in the disaster, said: “Conclusions in this case must be drawn and implemented into national law so that such a thing does not happen again”.
