Germanwings crash probe opts against cockpit door rethink

French investigators maintain that the risk of an external attack on the cockpit outweighs the risk of pilot interference, and have steered away from recommending changes in secure cockpit doors. The armoured cockpit door was used as a barrier to lock a Germanwings Airbus A320 captain out of the flight deck while the first officer deliberately put the jet on a collision course with terrain. French investigation authority BEA, in its inquiry into the March 2015 crash in the Alps, has acknowledged that the secure door contributed to the situation. But it adds that the risk of illicit attacks during flight are considered a greater threat than the scenario played out in the Germanwings crash. BEA says that, as a result, it is not issuing any safety recommendation concerning modification of the cockpit door design. <br/>