Germanwings Flight 9525 Crash

Just a week ago, on March 24^th, Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed into the French Alps. The plane, traveling from Barcelona, Spain, to Dusseldorf, Germany, was carrying 150 people. There were no survivors of the crash. At first, aviation experts were confused as to why a plane would make such a quick, straight descent into the ground. Information from the flight cockpit voice recorder revealed a very harrowing truth; the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had intentionally crashed the plane, in an apparent suicide mission. On the recording, you could hear the other pilot banging on the door to get in, as the co-pilot sat, breathing normally as he took the plane to the ground. In the following days, it was discovered that he had been deemed “unfit to work” by a doctor. The doctor had said he was not fit to do his job, because he was mentally unstable, possibly suffering from some type of depression. The airline never knew of this, because he had passed their initial tests at the time of his hiring, as well as other routine checks.

 

Workers sift through the wreckage, looking for the flight data recorder or other clues. 

Aside from the mental state of Lubitz, many are questioning how the system could let this happen. Why was there only one pilot in the cockpit and why isn’t that against the rules? It is believed the pilot probably left the cockpit to use the restroom or take care of a matter in the cabin. In the wake of this accident, new rules have been put in to place to prevent a similar future catastrophe. All European airlines must now make sure two pilots are in the cockpit at all times. That same rule has been in effect in the U.S. for quite some time now. As unfortunate as this horrible crash was, aviation will surely learn from it and improve, as it has with numerous accidents in the past.


http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/27/europe/france-germanwings-plane-crash-main/index.html

Hello there, my name is Charles Erker. I am writing this blog to help you, my classmates, get to know me a little better. Now, there really isn't a whole lot to know about me, but here it goes. I currently live in Omaha, Nebraska, and I'm a sophomore at Creighton Prep. I recently turned 16, so the roads just got a little more dangerous. My hobbies include sitting around and watching television, but I don't know if that really counts. I like to keep up to date on the news and on sports, but mainly sports. I like to follow a variety of sports, football, baseball, basketball, and soccer to name a few, although I am an avid fan of bobsledding. Of all my favorite teams in all these sports, without a doubt, Husker Football is my favorite. For a few months a year in the fall, it dictates my mood a little more than it should. It pains me to hear about the days of old, when Husker Football was relevant. If I die having not seen Nebraska win a national championship in football, I won't have lived a complete life.

Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, the greatest place on Earth.

Now, enough of that sports stuff, I am a multi-faceted person. I also enjoy going new places quite a lot. In my 16 years, the most notable places I've been to are St. John in the Virgin Islands, Florida (a few times) and Boston. I've also been to St. Louis about forty times, so that isn't really new anymore. I hope to be able to travel more when I am older. I would love to be able to visit our National Parks, especially the Grand Canyon and Yosemite. 

Well, I have spent the last ten minutes trying to think of something more to say, but my efforts have been fruitless, so I'm out. Until next time, God Bless you, and the US of A.