Germanwings pilot rehearsed crash on outbound flight

Andreas Lubitz runs the Airportrace half marathon in Hamburg in this September 13, 2009 file photo. REUTERS/Foto-Team-Mueller

PARIS (Reuters) - The Germanwings co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing a jet in the French Alps rehearsed the fatal manoeuvre on the morning of the disaster, and had twice been refused medical papers needed to fly, investigators said on Wednesday.

The French BEA accident investigation agency said the co-pilot had five times set the autopilot to take the Airbus down to just 100 feet while the captain was out of the cockpit on the outbound flight to Barcelona from Duesseldorf.