Lufthansa Flight Flew on Autopilot for 10 Minutes After Co-Pilot Fainted Alone in Cockpit
A routine Lufthansa flight turned into a nerve-racking ordeal when the co-pilot fainted alone in the cockpit, leaving the aircraft on autopilot for nearly 10 minutes before the captain could re-enter. The incident occurred on February 17, 2024, during a flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Seville, Spain.
According to a report by Spain’s Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC), the co-pilot lost consciousness while the captain had stepped out briefly to use the restroom. At the time, the Airbus A321 was carrying 199 passengers and six crew members.
With no one at the controls, the aircraft flew steadily thanks to its autopilot system. However, cockpit voice recordings captured strange, distressing sounds, indicating the co-pilot was suffering from a sudden medical emergency.
The captain attempted to re-enter the cockpit using the standard entry code, which signals the pilot inside to unlock the door. After five failed attempts, he alerted a flight attendant to try reaching the co-pilot via the onboard phone — but there was no response. Finally, the captain used an emergency override code that would have automatically opened the cockpit door after a delay.
Just before the door would have opened automatically, the co-pilot — though clearly unwell — managed to unlock it manually from the inside, allowing the captain to regain control of the cockpit.
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the captain decided to divert the flight and made an emergency landing in Madrid. The co-pilot was immediately taken to a hospital for treatment.
Lufthansa acknowledged the incident and said its own flight safety department conducted an internal investigation, though the findings have not been publicly released.
Despite the dramatic chain of events, the autopilot system kept the flight stable throughout, and thanks to the captain’s swift response, the passengers and crew remained safe.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
