A Lufthansa flight carrying 205 people on board flew for ten minutes without a pilot after the copilot fainted.
According to CNN, a new report from the authority investigating Spain’s accident revealed that the flight went without a pilot for 10 minutes after the copilot lost consciousness in the absence of the captain.
A report from the agency called CIAIAC found that during a flight from Frankfurt to Seville, Spain, on February 17, 2024, the captain left the cockpit briefly to use the lavatory when the plane copilot fainted. However, the autopilot system saved the day and lives of 199 passengers and six crew members on the Airbus A321.
Autopilot saves 205 lives
The investigation unveiled that during the absence of the captain and the unconsciousness of the copilot, the aircraft continued to fly safely in a stable manner because the autopilot system was active while the copilot was operating the controls unintentionally.
During the time, the voice recorder recorded consistent sounds with the copilot’s “sudden and severe incapacitation.” The air traffic controller also tried to reach the copilot up to three times, but there was no response.
Upon returning from the bathroom, the captain made five attempts to open the cockpit door with a regular opening code then he used an emergency code to gain access and took control of the aircraft.
The copilot received first aid from the crew while the pilot decided to divert the flight to Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, where he landed approximately 20 minutes later.
After landing copilot was transferred to the hospital for treatment, where he remained for a few hours.
As per the investigation copilot’s incapacitation was the symptom of a pre-existing neurological condition which was not picked during the aeronautical medical examination. His medical certificate has since been suspended.
The Spanish authority described the incident as an “extraordinary circumstance” and said captains were trained for situations where another pilot becomes incapacitated.
