"Bild", источник столь же "желтый", как LiveNews, если не хуже. В Германии ссылаться на эту газету считается дурным тоном ;)

"перевел автопилот самолета в режим свободного падения"

Это как?

Видимо, на том А-320 была такая кнопочка.)

"перевел автопилот самолета в режим свободного падения" - подозреваю что это "OPEN DESCENT"

Half an hour after take off, with the aircraft established in the cruise at FL 380, the Captain left the flight deck.
less than half a minute later, the selected altitude on the Flight Control unit (FCU) changed from 38000 feet to 100 feet, the AP mode changed to "OPEN DES" (open descent) mode and the A/T mode changed to "THR IDLE" (Idle Thrust) mode.
After a further two minutes, with the aircraft speed at 273 knots, the AP speed management selection changed from "managed" mode (speed controlled by the FMS) to "selected" mode (speed is controlled by the crew-selected speed) and the selected speed changed to 308 knots and thereafter varied in the range 288 knots to 323 knots before being set to 350 knots, the maximum selectable figure, and remained there until impact.