NET Extra: Black box shows Germanwings pilot locked out of cockpit

By Olumide Adesida

One of the two pilots on board the ill-fated Germanwings passenger airplane was locked out of the cockpit minutes before the aircraft crashed.

According to Daily Mail, the audio taken from the black box voice recorder, which was recovered from the remains of the Airbus A320, proves that the pilot left the cockpit and was not allowed to re-enter. The pilot is heard knocking lightly on the door of the cockpit before trying to ‘smash the door down’ because his colleague failed to answer.

Germanwings, which is a low-cost airline owned by Lufthansa, crashed, killing all 150 people on board. According to reports, the plane plummeted into the mountain-side in the French Alps.

The co-pilot reportedly left the cockpit, although the reason for his leaving is unknown. The source confirmed that the pilot who left the cockpit was heard ‘knocking lightly on the door but there was no answer.’

‘The pilot continued to hit the door with more force before he is heard trying to smash the door down, the official said.’