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The captain of Germanwings Flight 4U9525 made two desperate attempts to get back on to the flight deck before it crashed, according to excerpts from a transcript of the cockpit voice recorder reported by German newspaper Bild.
The transcript also reveals co-pilot Andreas Lubitz suggesting that the captain go to the toilet during the flight.
And, tragically, it suggests that some passengers on the flight were aware the flight was going down, and were screaming in panic, minutes before the final impact with the mountain.
Bild reported that, early in the flight, Captain Patrick Sondheimer "entertained" his co-pilot in a long conversation that included the fact that he had not gone to the toilet in Barcelona.
Lubitz then offered that he could take over – but the captain did not respond.
After the plane reached cruising altitude, the captain instructed his co-pilot to prepare for the landing in Dusseldorf. But Lubitz responded "laconically", using words such as "hopefully" and "we'll see".
Lubitz then said to the captain "you can go now". Two minutes later, the captain told Lubitz to take over, and left the cockpit.
Less than a minute later, at 10.30am, the plane started losing altitude.
A few minutes later, Bild reported, there was a "loud bang" and the voice of the captain could be heard shouting: "For God's sake, open the door."
In the background, screams from passengers could be heard.
At 10.35am, again, "loud metallic blows against the cockpit door" were heard.
About 90 seconds later, an automatic alert said "Ground. Pull up. Pull up."
Outside, the captain screamed: "Open the damn door."
At 10.40 the plane's right wing hit the mountain. The last noise on the tape, Bild reported, was the cries of the passengers.
At the weekend, The New York Times reported that Lubitz had sought treatment for vision problems that may have jeopardised his ability to continue working as a pilot.
However, one source told the Times the vision problem might have been psychosomatic, related to his psychological problems.
Lubitz was being treated for psychological issues, and had hidden aspects of his medical condition from his employer.
A police search of Lubitz's apartment in Dusseldorf found doctors' notes saying he was too ill to work, including on the day of the crash. One had been torn up and thrown in the bin.
Dusseldorf University Hospital has confirmed that Lubitz was recently evaluated at its clinic, but did not comment on whether he had sought treatment for vision problems, citing patient privacy.
On Friday, the hospital denied speculation he had sought treatment for depression there.
Meanwhile, the grisly work of recovering human remains from the remote Alpine ravine where the plane crashed has continued.
One searcher told The Observer that 1500 body parts had been collected, with many more to come.
The work is dangerous – several of the searchers have been struck by falling rocks – as well as physically and psychologically draining.
On Saturday, a religious service was held at Digne-les-Bains, near the crash site. Bereaved relatives have also visited a memorial site at Le Vernet, the closest village to the crash.
Relatives of Australians Carol Friday, 68, and her son Greig Friday, 29, who died, plan to visit the crash site on Monday, to say farewell.
Carol's brother Mal, and Mal's daughters Pippa and Georgie, have told Fairfax Media they were taking tributes from other family and friends, including poems and photos, to leave near the crash site as a memorial.
Fairfax understands they may also seek the opportunity to speak to prosecutors in Marseille about the progress of the investigation.
- with New York Times
