The Germanwings crash, and the folly of risk analysis

A post-9/11 security measure may have contributed to the crash

A memorial is set up at the German high school that lost 16 students and 2 teachers in the plane crash.
(Image credit: (REUTERS/Ina Fassbender))

While the investigation into the tragic crash of a Germanwings plane in the French Alps is not over, some very disturbing news has already come to light. According to French investigators, the co-pilot intentionally crashed the plane after locking the other pilot out of the cockpit and taking over the flight's controls.

The horrifying irony here is that the co-pilot was supposedly able to crash the plane thanks to a post-9/11 security measure: enabling plane cockpits to lock from the inside in the case of a hijacking.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.