Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot of the Germanwings jetliner that crashed in the French Alps on Tuesday, was diagnosed with a mental illness, authorities said on Friday. However, he never told his employers, Germanwings and its parent company, Lufthansa.
A French prosecutor said on Thursday that officials believe that Lubitz wanted to destroy the plane. The black box voice recorder allegedly shows that Lubitz had locked the other pilot out of the cockpit and Lubitz never responded to air traffic control. Lubitz, along with 149 other people on the plane, died in the crash.
It was later reported that Lubitz, 27, was evaluated at a hospital earlier this month and investigators discovered doctor’s notes that were torn up at his apartment in Dusseldorf, Germany.
According to The New York Times, prosecutors said on Friday that these notes “support the preliminary assessment that the deceased hid his illness from his employer and colleagues.”
It’s still not clear what mental illness Lubitz was suffering from. A German hospital said that he was not being treated for depression. German investigators said that they did not find a suicide note or any other document that could explain his actions. The Telegraph did report that he had recently broken up with his girlfriend and a recent attempt to win her back with a car didn’t work.
The Airbus A320 had left from Barcelona and was traveling to Dusseldorf. Three Americans were among the victims.