Germanwings pilot wanted to go down in history - ex girlfriend

A former girlfriend of the pilot who intentionally crashed his airliner into a French mountain on Tuesday has described being terrified of his behaviour.

In an interview with German newspaper Bild, the 26-year-old stewardess, identified only as Mary W, recalled Andreas Lubitz as saying, 'one day I will do something that will change the whole system, and then all will know my name and remember it.'

On another occasion, the mentally ill airman is said to have woken up during a nightmare, screaming 'we're going down!'

The stewardess’ memory of the chilling statement was sparked after Germanwings Flight 4U9525 crashed into a remote part of the French Alps, killing Lubitz and all 149 passengers and crew on board. Investigations indicate that Lubitz had deliberately flown the doomed plane into the mountainside.

"I never knew what he meant, but now it makes sense," the stewardess told the German newspaper. "He knew how to hide from other people what was really going on inside."

It emerged yesterday that Lubitz had torn up sick notes which said that he should not have been at work on the day of the crash.  Prosecutors found the notes in his home and have revealed that some were "recent and even from the day of the crime". The airline has confirmed that the sick note had not been submitted to the company.

They did not disclose what condition Lubitz was suffering from, but said their evidence pointed "towards an existing illness and corresponding treatment by doctors".

Data from the plane's voice recorder suggested that the co-pilot had intentionally started the descent of flight 4U9525 after he had locked the captain out of the cockpit. The captain was unable to regain access to the cockpit, ironically due to the reinforced cockpit doors meant to prevent hijackers, The recordings indicate desperate attempts to knock down the door, prosecutors said.

No suicide note nor confession had been found by investigators, who have added that there was no evidence pointing to a political or religious motive.