The Montreal-based International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations condemned the "leaking" of content from the Germanwings Flight 9525 cockpit voice recorder, following the jetliners crash in the French Alps on March 24.

The trade group, which counts more than 100K pilots as members, said the release of information from the cockpit recorder harms flight safety by inviting speculation from the media and public. "We deplore and condemn yesterday's leaking of certain elements of the Cockpit Voice Recorder," the group said. 

In a similar vein, a major US pilots union has criticized "sensationalized media coverage and rampant speculation" over the crash.

Reports that the pilot who flew the jetliner into the Alps may have been mentally ill have kicked off calls to revamp pilot screening and certifications to focus more on mental, rather than mostly physical, capacity.

The Chicago-based United Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association suggested the media frenzy and trickling out of reports are getting in the way of an independent, thorough probe of the crash.

"Speculation before the completion of an investigation risks misinterpretation of the events and can lead to premature conclusions," the union said. "We call on the worldwide media, the general public, and all interested parties to display patience while allowing the investigation of Germanwings Flight 9525 to proceed without distraction or hindrance to a thorough and proper conclusion."

Burson-Marsteller is helping client Lufthansa with PR in the aftermath of the crash by its Germanwings budget airline.