Around 28 minutes into the flight, Sondenheimer said Lubitz was in charge of communications, then exited the cockpit. Moments later, the door shut—and Lubitz began the descent.
As the plane plummeted, air traffic control tried unsuccessfully to contact the aircraft. Outside the cockpit, the captain desperately tried to regain entry, banging on the door and yelling, “Open the damn door!”
Lubitz remained completely silent for the rest of the flight, refusing to respond to calls or the captain’s pleas.
Investigators concluded that Lubitz had overridden the emergency access system to ensure no one could stop him.
