What We Know About Germanwings Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz Who Deliberately Crashed Plane

Andreas Lubitz, 28, refused to open the cockpit door to the pilot. He took sole control of the plane and pressed the button that sent the jet into descent, investigators said. (LIVE BLOG)

Lubitz was a German citizen and had no terrorist background, said French prosecutor Brice Robin.

The co-pilot's intention was to "destroy the plane," said the prosecutor, adding that "he had no reason to do it."

The cockpit voice recorder reveals that the co-pilot "didn't say a single word" during the last 10 minutes of the flight. The pilot kept hitting the cockpit door and "tried to smash it down."

The plane crashed into the mountains at 700 km per hour. French investigators say screams were heard in the last few seconds. The aircraft was pulverized on impact.

Lubitz belonged to the LSC Westerwald flying club, which had posted a notice after the crash saying: "Andreas became a member of the association as a teenager, he wanted to realise his dream of flying."

Both Lubitz and pilot Patrick S, a father of two, trained at the Lufthansa Flight Training School in Bremen, say reports.

Andreas Lubitz had clocked in 630 flight hours and joined Germanwings in September, 2013, straight from the training school, an airline spokesperson said.

Lufthansa chief Carsten Spohr has said that Lubitz had passed all psychological tests required to begin training and underwent regular physical examinations.

Lubitz was from Montabaur town in Germany and lived with his parents there while keeping a flat in Dusseldorf. He was an avid runner who often took part in local races, according to public records.