The fate of Germanwings flight 4U9525 was sealed the moment it took off from Barcelona on Tuesday, as fresh findings have revealed that pilot Andreas Lubitz also suffered from vision problems, apart from having battled mental illness in the recent past.
Investigators have been digging deeper into Lubitz's past since the plane's black box confirmed that he intentionally downed the plane that had 149 others on board. No one survived.
While it had come to light earlier that Lubitz had fought depression several years ago and was also declared 'unfit to fly' by a doctor, whose sick note he hid from Germanwings, new reports have emerged claiming that the pilot had also sought treatment for vision problems.
He had reportedly been examined by an eye specialist at a Dusseldor clinic as recently as 10 March, though the degree of his vision problems is still unclear as investigators are awaiting medical reports.
It is also unclear if Lubitz's vision problem could have affected his ability to fly, but experts are claiming that this finding could offer a plausible explanation for his intention to down the plane.
A possibility is that he feared that he may lose his medical certification required to continue flying during an upcoming renewal in July, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Lubitz's health issues may have been a key factor behind his decision to kill himself and 149 others when he crashed the plane into the French Alps.
Investigators have found anti-depressants from his German residence, indicating that he may have been struggling with depression, which also seemed to have pushed his former girlfriend away from him.
Lubitz's ex-girlfriend revealed to German newspapers that he would wake up from nightmares and often made ominous prophecies.
