Lufthansa Passenger Plane Carrying 205 People
Co-pilot Lost Consciousness While Captain Was in Restroom
It was belatedly revealed that a passenger plane carrying over 200 people flew for 10 minutes without a pilot in control.
According to multiple foreign media outlets, including the Associated Press on the 18th (local time), it was confirmed that a Lufthansa Airbus A321, flying from Frankfurt, Germany to Seville, Spain in February last year, was left without a pilot in control for about 10 minutes. According to a report published the previous day by Spain's air accident investigation agency (CIAIAC), this alarming situation occurred when, with about 30 minutes of flight time remaining, the 43-year-old captain left the cockpit to use the restroom, leaving the 38-year-old first officer in charge, and the first officer lost consciousness during this time.
The captain, who had gone to the restroom, returned after about eight minutes, but was unable to enter the cockpit despite entering the security code five times. He tried to contact the first officer using the intercom connected inside, but there was no response. The cockpit security door is designed to prevent hijacking, making it impossible to open from the outside by force. Ultimately, the captain was only able to enter the cockpit after inputting a manual security code that allows emergency access.
Investigations found that the first officer in the cockpit had lost consciousness during the entire incident. The aircraft was carrying 199 passengers and six crew members, meaning that for about 10 minutes in the air, no one was in control of the aircraft. Fortunately, the autopilot function was activated, and the flight continued safely.
The first officer, who had fainted, regained consciousness around the time the captain re-entered the cockpit, and the captain quickly took control of the aircraft. Seeing that the first officer's face was pale, he was sweating, and his movements were unsteady, the captain urgently requested assistance from the cabin crew. The first officer received emergency treatment from a doctor who was on board at the time, and the doctor reportedly mentioned the possibility of a heart condition.
In the end, the captain made an emergency landing at the nearest airport in Madrid, Spain, and the first officer, who was then transported to a hospital, was diagnosed with a seizure disorder.
According to the report, the first officer stated during the investigation, "I don't remember when I lost consciousness," and added, "It happened so suddenly that I was unable to inform the other crew members that something was wrong with my body."
Lufthansa told Germany's DPA news agency, "We are aware of the report and our flight safety department has also conducted an investigation."
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