Officials: Co-pilot got psychotherapy

MARSEILLE, France — The co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525 that crashed into the French Alps last week had received treatment for suicidal tendencies several years ago, prosecutors said today.

Duesseldorf prosecutors say co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, 27, had received psychotherapy “with a note about suicidal tendencies” for several years before becoming a pilot.

“In the following period, and until recently, further doctor’s visits took place, resulting in sick notes without any suicidal tendencies or aggression against others being recorded,” prosecutors’ spokesman Ralf Herrenbrueck said in a written statement.

Authorities believe, based on data from the plane’s voice recorder, that Lubitz locked his captain out of the cockpit and ignored his pleas to open the door while manually sending the plane into a fatal descent on what should have been a routine flight.

Prosecutors said they have so far found no indication of a motive that might have prompted Lubitz’s actions, nor any sign of a physical illness.

Asked about reports that Lubitz had problems with his vision, Christoph Kumpa, another spokesman for the Duesseldorf investigators, said there was no documentation showing that Lubitz had any physical ailment affecting his sight.

All 150 people on board were killed.

Air Canada plane makes hard landing

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — An Air Canada plane made a hard landing short of the runway at the Halifax airport during a snowstorm, crashing into a bank of antennas and shearing off its main landing gear, nose cone and an engine as it skidded on its belly, officials said. The airline said Sunday 25 people were taken to hospitals for observation and treatment of minor injuries.

The airline said Flight AC624, an Airbus 320 that left Toronto late Saturday, had 133 passengers and five crew members. Air Canada said the aircraft landed in stormy conditions at 12:43 a.m. Sunday.

“They touched down 1,100 feet short of the runway so I’d say they’re pretty lucky,” Mike Cunningham, a manager for Canada’s Transport Safety Board, said.

Cunningham said the plane hit an antenna array, shearing the main landing gear off before sliding on its belly onto the runway for another 1,100 feet before coming to a stop. Cunningham said there was significant damage to the plane.

By The Associated Press