French investigators probing the Germanwings plane crash called on Sunday for clearer rules on the lifting of medical confidentiality if pilots show signs of pyschological problems.
The plane was deliberately flown into a French mountainside by its co-pilot Andreas Lubitz in March last year in a tragedy that cost 150 lives and raised unprecedented aviation safety questions.
In their final conclusions on the disaster, BEA civil aviation experts also recommended more stringent medical checks for pilots.
Lubitz, 27, who was suffering from depression, was allowed to continue flying despite having been seen by doctors dozens of times in the years preceding the crash.
READ: Medicine for psychological illness found at co-pilot's home: report
"Clearer rules are needed to establish when it is necessary to lift medical confidentiality," investigator Arnaud Desjardins said at the launch of the BEA report.
"Several doctors in private practice had the information (that Lubitz) was ill," he said.
"This information was not passed on to aeronautical authorities or to his employer Germanwings."
The report also recommended regular analysis of pilots to check for "psychological or psychiatric problems".
In the fateful flight on March 24, 2015, Lubitz locked the pilot out of the cockpit of the Airbus 320 operated by Germanwings, the budget airline subsidiary of Lufthansa.
Ten minutes later, the jet ploughed into an Alpine mountain, killing all 144 passengers and six crew.
Despite being seen so many times by doctors, under German law none was able to alert his employers to his state of mind and he was allowed to continue flying.
- Training interrupted -
On the black box voice recorder recovered at the crash scene, all that is heard from Lubitz is regular breathing. He gave no words of explanation for his murderous course of action.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has already recommended stepping up medical testing for pilots, including more psychological tests.
BEA chief Remi Jouty said the French investigation had sought to identify the "systematic failures which led to this accident".
The investigators had also looked at the "balance between medical secrecy and flight security".
As a result of the Germanwings crash, European aviation authorities have already recommended making it compulsory to have two people in the cockpit at any time during flights.
Some countries are opposed to the measure, however, with Germany's pilots' union believing it poses "risks that outweigh any supposed improvements in security".
The dead in the Germanwings disaster included 72 Germans, including a group of 16 high school students, and 50 Spaniards.
A German lawyer for some of the families of the dead said this month they intended to sue the training school in Phoenix, Arizona, which Lubitz attended, claiming it should have flagged up his psychological problems.
"The co-pilot interrupted his training there for a while due to psychological problems," lawyer Christof Wellens said. "He shouldn't have been allowed to resume his training."
Lufthansa has paid 50,000 euros ($56,000) per victim in an initial payment and offered an additional 25,000 euros to each of the families plus 10,000 euros to each immediate relative including parents, children and spouse.
AFP
Sun Mar 13 2016
France's BEA for the Security of Civil Aviation Remy Jouty (L) and deputy head of the investigation department Arnaud Desjardin give a press conference on March 13, 2016 in Le Bourget. - AFP photo / JOEL SAGET
JBPM Terengganu berdepan kesukaran padam kebakaran
JBPM Terengganu menghadapi kesukaran memadamkan kebakaran di Kampung Sungai Ikan Kuala Nerus yang melibatkan lebih 75% tapak pelupusan sampah
Polis jangka laporan baharu selepas berkas guru tahfiz
Polis Kelantan menjangkakan lebih banyak laporan polis berkenaan pencabulan di sebuah pusat tahfiz di Machang selepas penahanan seorang guru.
Polis Jerman rampas 4 kereta Bugatti Veyron edisi terhad yang dikaitkan dengan 1MDB
Kenderaan berkenaan dikatakan sebahagian daripada siri "Legenda" khas Bugatti Veyron, dengan hanya 18 daripada supercar tersebut dibina dalam enam spesifikasi.
Gempa kuat 6.5 skala Richter gegar Garut, impak dirasai hingga Jakarta
Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi dan Geofisika (BMKG) Indonesia merekodkan gempa berkekuatan 6.5 skala Richter pada malam Sabtu.
EPL: Jika saya bercakap akan berlaku pergaduhan - Salah
Salah sangat tegang dengan Klopp ketika dia bersedia untuk masuk sebagai pemain gantian pada minit ke-79.
Rumah Najib boleh jadi penjara - Peguam
Rumah bekas Perdana Menteri itu boleh dijadikan sebagai penjara dan tempat tahanan untuk beliau seperti yang termaktub dalam undang-undang.
Kopi, kanvas seni Tyler Wong
Kopi ialah kanvas untuk Tyler Wong mempamerkan kemahiran dalam mencipta seni latte yang rumit namun indah.
Mayat tanpa identiti ditemukan terapung di Sungai Linggi
Mayat dipercayai seorang lelaki ditemukan terapung di kawasan Sungai Linggi berhampiran Pusat Dakwah Islamiah Paroi, di sini petang Sabtu.
AWANI Ringkas: Lawatan sempena mesyuarat khas WEF
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Negara perlu 6,000 veterinar tampung keperluan industri
Malaysia juga berhasrat untuk memenuhi nisbah seorang doktor haiwan kepada 5,000 penduduk.
Germanwings: Andreas Lubitz kaji mengenai pintu kokpit dan bunuh diri
Pembantu juruterbang yang disyaki sengaja menjatuhkan pesawat Germanwings pada 24 Mac lalu turut mencari maklumat tentang 'bunuh diri' dan pintu kokpit di internet.
Germanwings: Rakaman suasana panik dalam kabin sebelum nahas tersebar
Sebuah video yang tersebar didakwa memaparkan detik akhir di dalam kabin pesawat Germanswings yang terhempas minggu lalu.
Germanwings: Ubat penyakit psikologi ditemui di rumah pembantu juruterbang
Polis Jerman telah menemui bukti rawatan perubatan penyakit psikologi di rumah pembantu juruterbang Germanwings, Andreas Lubitz.
Germanwings: Bekas teman wanita dedah perlakuan aneh Lubitz sebelum nahas
Seorang wanita telah mendedahkan perlakuan aneh juruterbang Germanwings, Andreas Lubitz, sebelum kejadian nahas yang menimpa pesawat itu pada Selasa.
Nahas Germanwings: Syarikat penerbangan bergegas laksana dasar kokpit baru
Syarikat-syarikat penerbangan dan pembuat dasar telah bergegas untuk membuat mandat baru bahawa dua orang anak kapal perlu berada dalam kokpit pada setiap masa berikutan tragedi Germanwings.
Tiada indikasi mengenai motif pembantu juruterbang: CEO Lufthansa
Tiada petunjuk untuk mengenalpasti sebab pembantu juruterbang Germanwings sengaja menghempaskan pesawat itu, kata Carsten Spohr.
Juruterbang perlu kerap jalani pemeriksaan fizikal, mental: ICAO
Berikutan nahas Germanwings pada Selasa, para juruterbang harus kerap menjalani pemeriksaan kesihatan fizikal dan mental, kata agensi UN itu.