Accidents
Germanwings Copilot Set FMS for Fatal Descent
Germanwings pilot Andreas Lubitz, 27, is now the focus of the investigation
The copilot manually set the Germanwings A320’s autopilot to descend from 38,000 to 100 feet. (Flickr: Creative Commons (BY) by GerardvdSchaaf)
The copilot manually set the Germanwings A320’s autopilot to descend from 38,000 to 100 feet. (Flickr: Creative Commons (BY) by GerardvdSchaaf)

The copilot of the Germanwings Airbus A320 that crashed on Tuesday in the French Alps deliberately caused the crash by changing the flight management system’s altitude setting, French prosecutor Brice Robin revealed Thursday in a press conference at Marseille airport. Andreas Lubitz, 28, had locked the captain out of the cockpit. Criminal investigators have listened to the cockpit voice recorder's content, which the BEA retrieved yesterday.