A Germanwings plane crashed in the French Alps on Tuesday, killing about 150 people. The co-pilot wanted to destroy the plane, so he programmed the autopilot to make it crash.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/27/world/europe/germanwings-crash.html?_r=0

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/international/europe/2015/03/plane_crash_kills_150_people_in_french_alps_black_box

I think this may be a first. I don't know of any other incident when an established airline pilot deliberately wanted to destroy the plane he was piloting for apparently no reason. I don't think he was a terrorist though, It seems that he just went completely insane.

Egyptair Flight 990 and SilkAir Flight 185, both deliberate acts.

True, but in the end it couldn't be verified for one reason or another. This seems clear-cut

How exactly? The pilot of SilkAir 185 had lost a million dollars in stock market and on that same day many years back, when he flew for the Singaporean Air Force, his wingmen were killed by smashing into a mountain that he narrowly missed. Think that's motive enough?

If that guy was gonna go, he could at least have the decency to zip himself into a bodybag and slit his wrists. Taking a whole plane with him voids any usual sympathy I have for suicides. Hope the families can deal with their loss.

If that guy was gonna go, he could at least have the decency to zip himself into a bodybag and slit his wrists. Taking a whole plane with him voids any usual sympathy I have for suicides. Hope the families can deal with their loss.

 

This is still destruction of property, but at least when this airline pilot wanted to kill himself by crashing a plane, he just walked into the airport and stole an empty one:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Air_Botswana_incident

 

However, in destroying the plane he stole by crashing into two others sitting empty on the tarmac, he destroyed 100% of Air Botswana's fleet, crippling the ability of the airline to transport people around the country.

If that guy was gonna go, he could at least have the decency to zip himself into a bodybag and slit his wrists. Taking a whole plane with him voids any usual sympathy I have for suicides. Hope the families can deal with their loss.

 

Agreed. Dragging innocent people to their deaths just because he wants to go is unforgivable.

not to excuse the guy, but generally people suiciding is a very 1-track mindset, you kinda lose any feeling with the world.