SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
BBC reports the co-pilot of the Germanwings flight that crashed in the Alps intentionally locked the pilot out of the cabin and initiated the flight's descent into the ground:
The co-pilot of the Germanwings flight that crashed in the French Alps, named as Andreas Lubitz, appeared to want to "destroy the plane", officials said.
Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin, citing information from the "black box" voice recorder, said the co-pilot was alone in the cockpit.
He intentionally started a descent while the pilot was locked out.
Mr Robin said there was "absolute silence in the cockpit" as the pilot fought to re-enter it.
Air traffic controllers made repeated attempts to contact the aircraft, but to no avail, he said.
The story seems SN-worthy because it is an object lesson in the consequences for our lives when we put complex machines and systems into the hands of others. In this case it was a trained pilot who killed a plane full of people who were powerless to stop him. Another example could be engineers who sabotage a dam and wipe out entire communities downstream. We mostly don't think about stuff like this because there is an invisible web of trust, sometimes called a "social contract," that leads people to get on a plane, or go to work, or take their kids to school without giving it a second thought. But when that social contract unravels, all bets are off...
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Jaruzel on Thursday March 26 2015, @04:45PM
I blame 9/11. Back then, the bad guys took control of the planes because the doors to the cockpits were not locked. As part of the post 9/11 hysteria, among other changes, we ended up with locked cockpit doors [bbc.com] that could only be opened from inside the cockpit itself... 'For Our Safety'
As a result, 150 people are now dead.
Another win for the terrorists, regardless of who actually crashed that plane.
14 years on we're still letting them control how we live our lives...
-Jar
This is my opinion, there are many others, but this one is mine.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 26 2015, @05:24PM
> As a result, 150 people are now dead.
You are assuming that that this guy couldn't have figured out another way to do it, like putting a rufie in his co-pilot's drink and then crashing the plane.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Thursday March 26 2015, @07:08PM
[nostyle RIP 06 May 2025]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by PinkyGigglebrain on Thursday March 26 2015, @06:06PM
I would point out that as a result of unlocked doors well over two thousand people died on Sept. 11, 2001.
In the last 14 years this is the first time I've heard someone claim the locked doors are a bad idea. In fact I've read many comments that advocated locked doors because they really prevent hijackings as opposed to confiscating nail clippers and water bottles.
I'm interested in hearing the results of the investigation into the co-pilot that is currently underway.. Unless the co-pilot left a note somewhere we will never truly know why. But an well educated guess might be the next best thing.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 4, Insightful) by The Archon V2.0 on Thursday March 26 2015, @06:20PM
And people don't wear seatbelts because they don't want to be tangled if the car gets submerged.
And people don't wear steel-toed boots because if a specific thing hits it a specific way the damage will be worse.
And people don't vaccinate their kids because of fears of autism.
Find a safety measure and you'll find someone who will cite either a rumor, or a hypothetical, or one freak corner-case as a counterexample while ignoring all the people who *didn't* die.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bart9h on Thursday March 26 2015, @08:19PM
So you think 9/11 was caused by unlocked doors. Interesting....
(Score: 3, Insightful) by sjames on Thursday March 26 2015, @10:47PM
Well, let's see. The whole plan was to enter the cockpit and fly the planes into buildings. It seems pretty clear that had they been locked out of the cockpit, they would have failed miserably, so yeah.
That's not to say there weren't other things that could have stopped the events from happening, but securely locked doors are the cheapest and most sure countermeasure with little downside compared to the other ways.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday March 26 2015, @10:42PM
Why are you assuming the cockpit door being locked was the enabler. If the person flying the plane wants a crash, it will crash. If the door couldn't lock or the pilot had a key, it would have altered the copilot's plan a bit but not the outcome.
On the balance, the lockable door still makes the most sense.