The black box has revealed a number of facts. During a flight from Barcelona to Düsseldorf, the pilot left the flight deck and was not able to return to it. The prosecutor in Marseille then confirmed that the recordings showed that the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, locked the door to the flight deck after the captain briefly left and began the aircraft's descent.
According to the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, the first 20 minutes of the flight contained routine, technical exchanges between the pilots. The captain told his co-pilot that he had not had time to go to the toilet. At the start, that is what is heard on the black boxes. Then, at 10:27 a.m., the pilot asks Mr. Lubitz to prepare for the landing in Düsseldorf. The co-pilot said something like “I hope so; we will see”. The captain left to go to the toilet and, shortly afterwards, the descent towards the mountains began.
For us, it is important that air safety be taken very seriously. People can have mental health problems and that has to be taken seriously. That is what we would like to study at this committee. The minister, Transport Canada officials and the unions could come and explain the challenges they face with pilots and co-pilots with mental health issues. We feel that it is important to take this issue seriously. A study of the matter by this committee would be perfectly appropriate.
Thank you.