Page 31 - Aa320 News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Faa compiled by experts show that more and more pilots are relying on automation and not their manual skills. so what do we need to do about this? i think there's a real sense in the industry that we need to start looking at reintroducing more manual flying and also improving the training. clearly training needs to be improved to this particular airline. >> it does make you wonder why this pilot was behind the controls at all in the first place, if he clearly wasn't comfortable landing this aircraft. >> why didn't he express his discomfort much earlier on? it's not unusual for a pilot that doe...

Here's the ceo. listen. >> translator: his performance was without any criticism, nothing at all. it was striking. in a company like ours where we are so proud of our selection criteria, of our safety criteria, et cetera, this is even more of a shock. >> and because germy doesn't have a lot of private pilots, the airlines recruit their pilot candidates directly out of college then bring them up through the system, which includes instruction at an airline training center near phoenix arizona. that training center would not talk to us about the time lubitz spent there but before the crash lubitz...

Problem with the aircraft. that's very unusual given that they were at 38,000 feet they would have been in complete communication with air traffic control. >> reporter: among the scenarios investigators will have to consider, was there an emergency that forced the crew to program a rapid descent, a fire or smoke or sudden loss of cabin pressure? if that was the problem, the pilots should have leveled the plane out at 10 sthou feet where there's plenty of oxygen. instead it kept descending. were the pilots and passengers somehow incapacitated perhaps from lack of oxygen. captain john cox once...

There was an issue but with the flap over the landing gear and had more to do with noise than with safety. and that it had been repaired. so as we, as we stand here waiting jenna, for further news, a press conference due anytime now from the three leaders who have gathered. no further clues as to why the plane crashed but obviously with the a320 being the workhorse that it is it will be very important to find out what went wrong. specifically there was a moment of silence a moment between 10:30 and 10:31 when communication was stopped and is considered critical. it is hoped that some sound voi...

Quote, we don't know yet the reason why one of the guys went out but what is sure is that at the very end of the flight the other pilot is alone and does not open the door. chilling. we have all angles covered on this breaking story this morning. nbc news correspondent keir simmons is live from seyne-les-alps, france and licensed commercial pilot anthony roman and former faa chief of staff. keir, let's start with you. let's get the latest from the scene. what are you hearing officials on this report from the "new york times"? >> reporter: mika, people are completely stunned. one german journal...