On February 17, 2024, it would be a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Seville. The co-pilot fainted in the cockpit, creating an aircraft that lacked a pilot in command for almost ten minutes. At the time of this unusual event, the Airbus A321 was flying 199 passengers and six crew members.
The Spanish accident investigation authority, CIAIAC, provided a broad description of the accident in their final report. It happened during an unattended cockpit interval by the captain, an unfortunate in-flight restroom break. This put the co-pilot at controls by himself when he abruptly lost consciousness. In perhaps the most shocking turn of events, the plane operated autonomously. It did that without a human pilot in command for nearly ten minutes.
The FAA said that after the co-pilot fainted, he attempted multiple times to re-enter the cockpit. Unfortunately, he couldn’t close the deal on those five separate attempts. His plight was all it took to convince the captain to return to the cockpit at the earliest opportunity once he realized what was happening. The pilot was later forced to make an emergency landing on Madrid-Barajas Airport.
As soon as they landed, medical personnel were on hand to treat the injured co-pilot. From there, they airlifted him to a hospital in Madrid for more specialized evaluation and treatment. The airline has not yet provided additional information on the co-pilot’s condition after the serious incident.
The tragic event opened up questions about safety protocol and cockpit procedures when there is a missing pilot. Lufthansa and aviation authorities will undoubtedly take a hard look at existing guidelines to ensure that this type of incident is avoided from happening again. The close call underscores the need to always ensure clear communication and use of established flight operations protocols.
