Germanwings A320 crashes in French Alps

An Airbus A320-200 of Lufthansa’s lowcost subsidiary Germanwings crashes today in the french Alps. The plane with 150 people on board had been en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf.

The aircraft descended only minutes after reaching high cruise altitude FL380 (38,000 ft). It came down in the Haute-Bleone valley in south-eastern France.

Germanwings posted on twitter:

„We are sorry to confirm that flight 4U9525 has crashed on the flight from BCN to DUS over the French Alps. It is a A320 aircraft. On board were 144 passengers and 6 crew members. Lufthansa and German Wings have connected a telephone hotline on freephone number 0800 11 33 55 77, to inform relatives of passengers and look after [them]. All employees of the German Wings and Lufthansa are deeply distressed and their thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the passengers and crew.“

The aircraft involved in the accident, registered under D-AIPX was MSN (Manufacturer Serial Number) 147 delivered to Lufthansa from the production line in 1991. In 2003 Lufthansa transferred the Airbus to its new subsidiary germanwings but one year later it returned to the parent company. In January 2014 D-AIPZ transfered again to germanwings.

The aircraft had accumulated approximately 58,300 flight hours in some 46,700 flights. It was powered by CFM 56-5A1 engines. At this time no further factual information is available.

European-Aviation.net, Airbus, germanwings