Germanwings Tragedy Isn't the First Intentional Downing of a Plane
When French officials said Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz appears to have deliberately crashed Flight 4U9525, the 28-year-old's name was added to an infamous gallery of pilots bent on destruction. Here's a look at previous examples of passenger planes brought down on purpose.2015: GERMANWINGS FLIGHT 4U9525All 150 people aboard died when the flight from Barcelona, Spain to Dusseldorf, Germany, crashed into the French Alps on Tuesday. French investigators on Thursday said it appeared Lubitz intentionally brought the plane into a rapid descent and had a "desire to destroy" the Airbus.2013: MOZAMBICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT TM-470Aviation officials ruled that the pilot of Mozambican Airlines Flight TM470 had "clear intention" to crash the plane. "The reasons which may have given rise to this behavior are unknown," the BBC reported investigators saying.1999: EGYPTAIR FLIGHT 990The co-pilot of EgyptAir Flight 990 was carrying out an act of revenge when he downed his plane off New England in 1999, killing 217 people, sources close to the investigation said. Pilot Gamil el-Batouty had been reprimanded by one of his seniors for "sexual misconduct," the Guardian reported, and was told he would no longer be flying U.S. routes, which carry extra pay. It is thought el-Batouty crashed the plane in response to the sanctions.1997: SILKAIR 9525The Singapore-bound Boeing 737 crashed into Indonesia's Palembang River shortly after take-off in December 1997, killing 104 people. U.S. investigators found that the voice recorder in the cockpit had been intentionally disconnected, according to the BBC, and pilot Tsu Way Ming did not try to right the plane after it went into a nose dive.1984: JAPAN AIR LINES FLIGHT DC-8Flight DC-8 fell 300 yards short of the main runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport after a struggle in the cockpit, investigators ruled in 1984. The plane was carrying 174 people, 24 of whom were killed in the accident. The New York Times reported that the captain had been grounded for a year for a mental illness.
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