According to a report by the Spanish accident investigation authority (CIAIAC), a Lufthansa flight with 205 people on board was left without a pilot for 10 minutes after the co-pilot fainted while he was alone in the cockpit, CNN reports, quoted by Focus.
The captain temporarily left the cockpit to use the toilet when the co-pilot fainted during a flight from Frankfurt to Seville on February 17, 2024. There were 199 passengers and six crew members on board the Airbus A321.
The plane continued to fly steadily thanks to the activated autopilot, but the co-pilot inadvertently activated the controls, the report states. The voice recorder recorded sounds consistent with the co-pilot's "sudden and severe incapacity."
The air traffic controller tried to contact him three times, but without success.
The captain returned and made five attempts to open the cabin door with the usual code activated by the bell, but received no response. He then used the emergency code to unlock the cabin and take control of the plane.
Lufthansa confirmed to the German news agency dpa that it was aware of the report and had conducted its own investigation, but had not published the results.
The co-pilot received first aid from the crew and a doctor traveling as a passenger. He regained consciousness and later said he remembered the assistance he received.
The captain decided to divert the flight to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, where the plane landed about 20 minutes later. The co-pilot was hospitalized for several hours.
The investigation found that the seizure was a symptom of a neurological condition that the pilot was unaware of and that was not detected during his aeromedical examination. His medical certificate has been suspended.