Local media in Germany are suggesting that Lufthansa, parent company of Germanwings, could face manslaughter charges if claims that the airline had prior knowledge of the mental state of co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who crashed Flight 4U 9525 into the Alps killing all on board. Unsubstantiated German reports have claimed that a Lufthansa psychiatrist declared Lubitz fit to control a commercial aircraft even though he had temporarily left his pilot's training in 2009 because of mental health problems. There have also been claims that Lubitz was receiving still psychological treatment. Lufthansa has declined to comment on any of the allegations while the inquiry was ongoing.
This tragic event has open up a can of worms relating to the state of the mental health of commercial airline pilots, while also questioning airline procedures for assessing the health of their employees.