CRI听力:Co-pilot of Germanwings Practices Descending Plane

A preliminary report by French authorities has revealed the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, switched the altitude of the plane from 38-thousand feet to 100 feet shortly after the capitain of the plane left the cockpit.

The flight controls were also readjusted during that same 30-second window to allow the plane to hit its maximum altitude of 49-thousand feet.

Markus Wahl with the German pilots' association says the quick adjustments of the altitude headings would not have been noticed by those on-board.

"At least according to the report that was published today, I don't think that the passengers would have noticed that, because the input on the altitude setting was very short, so the aircraft did not have any time to react to the input, so I guess nobody noticed."

Meanwhile, authorities are still trying to determine how Lubitz was able to maintain his pilots license, despite revelations he was reportedly having suicidal tendencies and depression.

Jean Serrat, a former Corsair Airline pilot, says it's virtually impossible for airline doctors to judge if a pilot has problems that need dealing with during the short amount of time they have to review their mental health.

"When we go to see the medical twice a year above a certain age, the doctor who is going to see you, he is going to discuss with you for five or ten minutes. How can he see in five or ten minutes that you have deep problems? It's just impossible."

The Germanwings flight plowed into the southern French Alps on March 24th while on a flight from Barcelona, Spain to Duesseldorf, Germany, killing all 150 people on board.

Investigations have since revealed Lubitz intentionally downed the plane after locking the captian out of the cockpit while he went to the washroom.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.