Lufthansa flight flew without a Pilot for 10 minutes after copilot fainted – Report finds

 A Lufthansa flight carrying 205 people flew without a pilot for 10 minutes after the copilot fainted while alone in the cockpit, according to a report from Spain’s air accident investigation authority.

The incident occurred on February 17, 2024, during a flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Seville, Spain. The report, released by the Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC), revealed that the captain had briefly left the cockpit to use the lavatory when the copilot suddenly lost consciousness.

 

The Airbus A321, with 199 passengers and six crew members on board, remained in stable flight due to the autopilot system. However, the report noted that the unconscious copilot inadvertently made control inputs. Cockpit voice recordings captured sounds indicating his "sudden and severe incapacitation."

Air traffic controllers attempted to contact the cockpit three times without receiving a response.

The captain returned and initially tried to re-enter the cockpit using the standard access code, which chimes to alert the cockpit crew. After five unsuccessful attempts and no intercom response, he used the emergency override code to gain entry and resume control of the aircraft.

 

The copilot was given first aid by the crew and a doctor onboard, eventually regaining consciousness. He later recalled being treated but had no memory of the fainting episode.

 

The flight was diverted to Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, where it landed safely about 20 minutes later. The copilot was taken to the hospital and discharged after a few hours.

 

An investigation found the copilot suffered from an undiagnosed neurological condition that had not been detected during his routine medical evaluations. His medical certification has since been suspended.

 

Lufthansa acknowledged the incident and said its internal safety department also conducted a review, though the results were not made public, according to German news agency dpa.

 

The CIAIAC described the incident as an “extraordinary circumstance” and emphasized that pilots are trained to handle such emergencies. While rare, pilot incapacitations—including sudden deaths—do occur. The CIAIAC cited 287 in-flight pilot incapacitations recorded across Europe between 2019 and 2024.

 

A 2004 report by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration recorded 39 similar incidents involving American airline pilots from 1993 to 1998.