The hypothesis that Germanwings Flight 9525 was intentionally crashed by its allegedly suicidal co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, has dominated the headlines to such an extent that it has taken on the aura of established fact. Numerous aviation experts and professional associations have condemned this rush to judgment and the role of French authorities in fueling it. What the aviation experts and professional associations know, but the broader public in general does not, is that a known malfunction in a cockpit computer on the A320 family of planes could initiate a controlled descent like that Lubitz is accused of having intentionally brought about and, furthermore, that so long as the computer is running, the pilot or pilots would not be able to override it.
For the details, including critical commentary on the Germanwings investigation from French pilots, see my new article on Geopolitical Monitor here.
