Germanwings Pilot Andreas Lubitz Sought Treatment for Vision Problems Before Crash, Authorities Say

[LiberalEsto]

Source: NY Times

"DÜSSELDORF, Germany — Andreas Lubitz, who was flying the Germanwings jetliner that slammed into a mountain in the French Alps on Tuesday, sought treatment for vision problems that may have jeopardized his ability to continue working as a pilot, two officials with knowledge of the investigation said Saturday.

The revelation of the possible trouble with his eyes added a new element to the emerging portrait of the 27-year-old German pilot, who the authorities say was also being treated for psychological issues and had hidden aspects of his medical condition from his employer.

It is not clear how severe his eye problems were or how they might have been related to his psychological condition. One person with knowledge of the investigation said the authorities had not ruled out the possibility that the vision problem could have been psychosomatic.

Mr. Lubitz, the co-pilot, was alone in the cockpit of the Airbus A320 jetliner on the flight from Barcelona to Düsseldorf, ignoring demands from the captain to be let back in, when the plane crashed. The French prosecutor in the case, drawing from cockpit voice recordings and other data about the flight, has said that Mr. Lubitz deliberately guided the plane, with another 149 people aboard, into the mountains. On Saturday, a special Mass to honor the victims was held in the town of Digne-les-Bains, near the site of the crash."

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/world/europe/pilot-andreas-lubitz-sought-treatment-for-vision-problems-before-germanwings-crash-authorities-say.html?_r=1

[geomon666]

1. This guy was a mess

And had no business piloting a small private plane let alone a jetliner.

[LiberalEsto]

2. I hesitate to write this until we know more

but it appears as though his lifelong dream of being a pilot was more important to him than the lives of other human beings. Maybe this is a kind of narcissism, added to his other medical/psychological issues.

[elehhhhna]

3. very violent murder suicide by very angry man

Happens often here.

[RobinA]

12. And This Entire

story has become a mess of speculation. This guy is being reported as being a mess, but no one who knew him seemed to think he was anything but normal. Seems weird to me.

[appalachiablue]

4. Desperate w/ emotional & ego issues, seems like a very unstable person who had a history

of psych. treatment for mental illness from 2009 which caused him to interrupt then repeat flying classes. Narcissist, delusional and megalomania tendencies. Meds. sometimes produce serious side effects which go unnoticed from lack of proper monitoring. How could his condition not have been known or detected by his employer given the high level of responsibility of his occupation. Also recent labor issues, deregulation and cut backs in the airline industry add stress to employees lives. What a tragedy-

[LiberalEsto]

6. Some antidepressants cause vision problems and increase suicidal tendencies

I did some looking up tonight to see if there was a connection between antidepressants and blurred vision, and it seems some meds do have that listed as a side effect. I read in a few news reports online that his eyesight problem was blurred vision.

It's also been determined that some antidepressants can increase suicidal tendencies, particularly in children, teens and young adults.

If he was definitely on antidepressants, I think the public needs to know what kind and what dosages he was taking.

[appalachiablue]

7. I'm inclined to think the same although too few are aware of this issue w/ SSRIs and I never hear

loud cautions from the medical community or Big Pharma, not much anyway. That's been a gold mine for Madison Ave. advertising in the last 35 years. Have not heard about the blurred vision but believe it, also indicated with other meds. What I've seen mention of, even by an expert on CNN today, is that SSRI meds might 'trip' (rather than CAUSE) side effects. That implies the person had/has bipolar or another issue when that's not the case.

On another thread here a poster brought up the possibility of schizophrenia b/c of visual disturbances which I read about that are not yet conclusive among scientists. Given that his delusions of wanting to be remembered for something suggest mania and suicidal ideation (both can be side effects), the new stress of vision problems and the girlfriend crisis, also earlier diagnosis and treatment in 2009, I would think his condition was depression with some added paranoia and possible medication side effects. Information about the SSRIs and meds he was taking should definitely be made known.

Just recalled his vision problems are noted as 'psychosomatic' by the doctors, so what's that about if blurred vision is a recognized side effect? It's a very tragic event and sensitive issue God knows.
Also wonder how close he was with his parents who he visited and were well off. What if anything they knew, and was anybody concerned, including his docs, even the flight attendant girlfriend, about the high stress and responsibility of his occupation? Who knows. Very very sad.

[jakeXT]

5. The TACA captain landed his plane with one eye on a levee

On May 24, 1988, the flight lost power in both engines but its pilots made a successful deadstick landing on a grass levee, with no one aboard sustaining more than minor injuries. The captain of the flight, Carlos Dardano of El Salvador, had only one eye due to crossfire on a small flight to El Salvador, which was undergoing a civil war at the time.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TACA_Flight_110

[appalachiablue]

8. As a teenager my cousin who was mentally retarded was the one who called the ambulance

when her father had a heart attack. Thanks to her initiative and action help arrived and he survived. My father told me this, dear girl. We should focus on the abilities, as with the brave pilot you mention, not the deficits. I learned much from working with kids and adults with visual impairments and other conditions at a United Way agency and from others who've had medical challenges. Thanks for this post.

[father founding]

9. Bullshit, I say

THis is weird,The Marseille prosecutor Mr Robin added his religion was "unknown". I f he was Muslim, there would be round the clock reporting of it.

[mopinko]

10. i hope they examine this man's brain, if they can.

something about this screams brain injury or illness to me. maybe a tumor, or a traumatic injury. especially this bit.

[Joe Chi Minh]

11. In the end it comes down to extreme malice.

A mental affliction might aggravate it, but it could not cause it.