By JOAN LOWY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) _ U.S. government records show Federal Aviation Administration officials questioned the mental fitness of the pilot who crashed an airliner in the French Alps. But it then awarded him a U.S. pilot license after his German doctor said he had fully recovered from severe depression.

Records released by the FAA show that while Andreas Lubitz was training to be a Phoenix airline pilot at a flight school he initially submitted a medical form to the FAA asserting he had no mental disorders. He then resubmitted the form acknowledging he had been treated for severe depression.

The FAA initially sent Lubitz a letter warning that his license application could be denied and requesting a letter from his doctor. The license was granted after his doctor described his treatment and said he had recovered.