A Lufthansa flight with 205 people on board went without a pilot for 10 minutes last year after the copilot fainted while he was alone in the cockpit, according to a new report from Spain’s accident investigation authority
The captain had briefly left the cockpit to use the lavatory when the copilot fainted during a flight from Frankfurt to Seville, Spain, on February 17, 2024, said the report from the agency, called CIAIAC.
A total of 199 passengers and six crew members were aboard the Airbus A321 at the time, the report said.
The aircraft continued to fly in a stable manner due to autopilot being active, however the copilot did operate controls unintentionally, the report said. It added that sounds consistent with the copilot’s “sudden and severe incapacitation” were recorded on the voice recorder during this time.
An air-traffic controller attempted to reach the copilot up to three times, but there was no response.
The report said the captain returned from the bathroom and tried to open the cockpit door with a regular opening code, which chimes the cockpit. The captain made five attempts at this and a cockpit crew member also placed an intercom call to the flight deck. With no response, the captain used an emergency code to gain access and took control of the aircraft.
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