In 2015 , on March 24 , Germanwings Flight 9525 ( an Airbus A320-200 ) crashed 100 kilometres ( 62 mi ) northwest of Nice , in the French Alps , after a constant descent that began one minute after the last routine contact with air traffic control and shortly after the aircraft had reached its assigned cruise altitude . All 144 passengers and six crew members were killed . The crash was intentionally caused by the co-pilot , Andreas Lubitz . Having been declared " unfit to work " without telling his employer , Lubitz reported for duty , and during the flight locked the pilot out of the cabin . In response to the incident and the circumstances of Lubitz 's involvement , aviation authorities in Canada , New Zealand , Germany and Australia implemented new regulations that require two authorized personnel to be present in the cockpit at all times . Three days after the incident the European Aviation Safety Agency issued a temporary recommendation for airlines to ensure that at least two crew members , including at least one pilot , are in the cockpit at all times of the flight . Several airlines announced they had already adopted similar policies voluntarily
Flight 9525
Germanwings Flight 9525
Aviation safety