Germanwings Flight 9525 — deliberate crash of an Airbus A320 in the French Alps on March 24, 2015
A deliberate mass-casualty aviation disaster in which a co-pilot crashed a passenger jet into the French Alps, killing all 150 aboard.
Key Facts
- Date
- 24 March 2015
- Lives lost
- 150 people
- Aircraft type
- Airbus A320-211
- Route
- Barcelona to Düsseldorf
- Compensation per victim family
- €75,000
- Distance from Nice
- 100 km
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
First officer Andreas Lubitz had previously been treated for suicidal tendencies and declared medically unfit to work. He concealed this from his employer Germanwings, a Lufthansa subsidiary, and reported for duty on the scheduled Barcelona–Düsseldorf flight despite his documented psychological condition.
On 24 March 2015, while the captain had temporarily left the cockpit, Lubitz locked the door and programmed the Airbus A320 into a controlled descent. The aircraft struck a mountain in the French Alps approximately 100 km north-west of Nice, killing all 150 people on board.
European aviation authorities rapidly adopted EU Aviation Safety Agency recommendations requiring at least two authorised persons in the cockpit at all times, though this rule was rescinded by 2017. Lufthansa paid €75,000 to each victim's family plus €10,000 in pain and suffering compensation to every close relative, prompting broader debate about pilot mental health screening.