Agency Nearly Denied The Germanwings Pilot A U.S. Certificate In 2010

Andreas Lubitz, the copilot of a Germanwings flight which he allegedly deliberately flew into a mountainside in the French Alps, was nearly denied a U.S. pilot certificate in 2010, according to documents released by the FAA.

The New York Times reports that the documents were made available following a Freedom of Information Act request. They indicate that Lubitz had been treated for depression from January to October 2009 with the drugs  Cipralex and mirtazapine. He had been given a leave of absence from Lufthanza's flight training program during that period.

But because of the treatment, the FAA reportedly raised questions about whether he should be afforded airman privileges in the U.S. The paper reports that Lubitz's doctors assured the agency that he had fully recovered from the episode of depression, according to the documents.

The FAA allowed Lubitz to travel to the U.S. and continue his training, but he was cautioned that if the depression returned, he would not be allowed to fly.

Lubitz reportedly also initially responded "no" to a question about whether he had ever been treated for a mental disorder on a form he completed in 2010. The file notes later were changed to indicate a "yes" response to that question.

The documents indicate that the FAA sent a letter to Lubitz July 28, 2010 saying "Because of your history of reactive depression, operation of aircraft is prohibited at any time new symptoms or adverse changes occur or any time medication and/or treatment is required." He was not denied the medical certificate outright, but told to contact the agency again in 30 days. Documents translated from German say that Lubitz was in "complete remission" from a "severe depressive episode" and he was "completely recovered." Lubitz was later granted a third-class medical certificate and continued his training.

FMI: www.faa.gov