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Analysis: Crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 - Investigation and Latest Responses

More+ › Events ♦ Published: March 25, 2015; 11:00 ♦ Updated: March 26; 14:30 ♦ (Vindobona)

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Yesterday Germanwings Flight 9525 from Barcelona to Düsseldorf, an Airbus A320-200, crashed around 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of Nice, in the French Alps. All 144 passengers and six crew members died. People on board by nationality were: Germany 67, Spain 45, Kazakhstan 3, Mexico 3, Argentina 2, Australia 2, Colombia 2, Croatia 2, Japan 2, Morocco 2, Belgium 1, Denmark 1, Israel 1, Netherlands 1, Turkey 1, United Kingdom Several (unconfirmed), and unknown 15. The aircraft had reached its cruising altitude, flight level 380 (approx. 38,000 ft [12,000 m]) at 9:27 GMT. Three minutes later the aircraft began its descent - the purpose of the descent is not currently known. 14 minutes after the initial descent, radar contact with the aircraft was lost. Meanwhile the first cockpit voice recorder was recovered by rescue workers and is being examined by the investigation team. The recorder was damaged in the crash, but was said to be still in a "usable" condition. The search for the flight data recorder was to be a priority when the recovery operation resumed. It is the third-deadliest crash of an Airbus A320, after TAM Airlines Flight 3054 and Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501, and the third-deadliest aviation disaster on French soil, after Turkish Airlines Flight 981 and Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 1308. Unusually, the plane appears not to have deviated from its flight plan during its descent.

This aircraft Airbus A320 (D-AIPX) crashed on 24 March 2015 in the French Alps as Germanwings Flight 9525 / Picture: © Wikipedia / Ampsbears

Germanwings Flight 9525 (4U9525/GWI9525) was a scheduled international passenger flight from Barcelona to Düsseldorf, operated by Lufthansa-owned low-cost airline Germanwings.

On 24 March 2015, the aircraft serving that flight, an Airbus A320-200, crashed around 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of Nice, in the French Alps.

All 144 passengers and six crew were…