Pilotless Lufthansa Flight: First Officer Loses Consciousness Mid-Flight

Madrid, Spain – A Lufthansa Airbus A321 carrying nearly 200 passengers flew for ten terrifying minutes without a pilot last February after the first officer lost consciousness while the captain was using the bathroom, according to a report by Spanish aviation investigators released this week.

On February 17, 2024, the flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Seville, Spain, was nearing the end of its journey when the captain, 43, decided to step away from the cockpit. He left the first officer, 38, alone with approximately 30 minutes of flight time remaining, believing him to be alert enough to handle the aircraft. However, upon returning after eight minutes, the captain found himself unable to access the flight deck despite multiple attempts to input the security door’s access code.

When the intercom call to the flight deck went unanswered, the captain activated an emergency access code, at which point the co-pilot regained consciousness and manually opened the cockpit door from the inside. The captain described the first officer as “pale, sweating, and moving strangely” when he reentered the cockpit.

Realizing the severity of the situation, the captain called for assistance from the cabin crew. The first officer received first aid from the crew and a doctor traveling as a passenger, who suspected a heart condition. The co-pilot later reported he had lost consciousness with no memory of how long it lasted or the events leading up to it, only recalling flying over Zaragoza before awakening to crew assistance.

The aircraft maintained stable flight due to its active autopilot system, and voice recordings from the cockpit captured noises indicative of a medical emergency during the time the co-pilot was incapacitated.

Following the incident, the captain made the decision to divert the aircraft to Madrid, the nearest airport. Once on the ground, the first officer was evaluated at a hospital where doctors determined his sudden incapacitation was related to a seizure disorder stemming from a neurological condition. As a precaution, his medical certificate has been suspended.

Lufthansa has acknowledged awareness of the incident and the findings of the investigation but has not disclosed the results of its internal review into the event.