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Germanwings crash: French authorities release preliminary timeline

French authorities on Wednesday released a preliminary report on the March 24 Germanwings crash, using the flight recorders and recordings of radio communications to provide the most detailed picture to date of what happened inside the plane in the moments before its copilot is suspected of crashing it into the Alps.According to the French Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyses accident investigation agency’s preliminary report, shortly after Germanwings flight 9525 reached a cruising altitude of 38,000 feet, the captain left the cockpit. About half a minute later, copilot Andreas Lubitz set the plane’s autopilot to fly the plane to the lowest possible altitude, 100 feet, and increased the rpm in both of the plane’s engines. After a short while, the pilot tried to re-enter the cockpit. He used the intercom system to ask Lubitz to open the cockpit door, but received no answer. The pilot started knocking and can then be heard trying to break the door down. The plane crashed less than a minute later, killing all 150 people on board.