Germanwings Co-Pilot 'Intentionally' Crashed Plane into Alps, Prosecutor Says

Recovery of the black box from the Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 that crashed into the French Alps earlier this week suggests that the aircraft's co-pilot "intentionally" crashed the plane into the remote mountainside.

French authorities say the black box includes information that suggests the flight's pilot left the cockpit, presumably to use the restroom, and then was unable to regain access to the cockpit, as the cabin's door had been locked by the co-pilot.

Marseille Prosecutor Brice Robin told the Associated Press Thursday, just two days after the plane crashed into the French Alps, that Germanwings copilot Andreas Lubitz "intentionally" flew the plane into the remote mountainside.

"The most plausible, the most probably, is that the co-pilot voluntarily refused to open the door of the cockpit for the captain and pressed the button for the descent," Robin said.

Robin added to the media outlet that audio from the black box indicates the pilot aggressively pounded on the cockpit door for entry. There was reportedly no response from the cockpit, and Lubitz's breathing remained steady the entire time.

"It's obvious this co-pilot took advantage of the commander's absence. Could he have known he would leave? It is too early to say," he said.

Shortly after Robin's statements, Lufthansa Airlines, which owns Germanwings, released a statement saying news of the co-pilot's behavior leaves them "speechless."

The company's chief executive Carsten Spohr told reporters in Cologne on Thursday that the news was "beyond our worst nightmare", adding "It leaves us absolutely speechless."

"I wouldn't not have been able to imagine that the situation would have got even worse," Spohr added.