Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot thought to have intentionally crashed Germanwings Flight 9525 in the French Alps on Tuesday, had a doctor's note excusing him from work that day. Investigators found it torn up in his Düsseldorf apartment.
German prosecutors said Friday that they were investigating Lubitz's background, including his potential medical conditions, financial situation, and personal relationships,
The New York Times reported. They said no suicide note was found, nor any evidence of any political or religious motivations.
The evidence found did, however, "support the assumption that the deceased hid his illness from his employer and his professional circles," prosecutors said.
The prosecutors did not say whether the doctor's note was related to a psychological issue — such as depression — or a physical condition.
On Thursday, the chief executive of Lufthansa, Lubitz's employer, said he'd passed all of his health inspections with "flying colors."
"He was 100 percent flightworthy, without any limitations," Carsten Spohr added.
German tabloid Bild reported, however, that Lubitz's training at Lufthansa's flight school in Phoenix, Arizona, was interrupted more than once by a "serious depressive episode."
Spohr said earlier this week that Lubitz's training had been "interrupted" six years ago, but did not elaborate as to why.
An audio recording recovered from the crash showed that co-pilot Lubitz, 27, kept the flight's primary pilot locked out of the cockpit after he got up for a few minutes. The pilot tried breaking down the door, to no avail. Lubitz was completely silent and breathing normally as he put the plane into a nosedive, even as the screams of the passengers grew louder.
All 150 people onboard — including three Americans — were killed on impact.
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