Tracking pilots’ brains to reduce risk of human error

Earlier this year, a Germanwings jet carrying 150 people crashed into a remote area of the French Alps, killing everyone on board. Authorities say co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who had suffered from suicidal tendencies and depression, intentionally crashed the Barcelona-Düsseldorf flight but they are still puzzling over why he did it. Scientists from France, the US and Japan are now working together to better understand how a pilot’s brain functions . The Germanwings accident was a unique case, so scientists have extended their research to understand pilots’ physiological and neurological reactions to stress, with the aim of being able to identify the signals that precede potential error in order to prevent it. (EuroNews)