A recently released report has revealed that a plane with 199 passengers and six crew flew for a whole 10 minutes without a pilot at the helm.
According to the report, the incident happened on February 14, 2024, aboard a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Seville, Spain, prompting investigations by the Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC).
The report notes that the co-pilot was in charge of the Airbus A321 after the pilot stepped out to use the restroom when he fainted.
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Pilot: Copilot was fine before I left
“The commander was the Pilot Monitoring (PM) and the co-pilot was the Pilot Flying (PF). For the flight crew, this was the fourth day of a four-day rotation. During the previous three days, in the commander’s opinion, the co-pilot performed his duties according to the company’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), demonstrating high motivation at all times.
While the aircraft was en route at 10:31 UTC, the commander left the flight deck and headed to the forward lavatory. Before doing so, the commander and the co-pilot had a conversation about the weather conditions and the operation of the aircraft. According to the commander, the co-pilot appeared to be in good shape and attentive at that moment,” reads a translation of the report prepared in Spanish.
After using the restroom, the commander attempted to re-enter the cockpit but received no immediate response from the inside.
He initially used the standard access procedure, assuming the co-pilot was occupied with flight duties. When that failed, he tried a second time, thinking he may have mistyped the code.
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Pilot attempts emergency entry
Still unsuccessful, he made three more attempts, raising concern. At this point, a cabin crew member also called the cockpit using the intercom system, but there was still no response.
The commander then initiated the emergency access procedure by entering the override code for the cockpit door. Before the emergency access code timer expired, the door was finally opened manually from the inside by the co-pilot.
The pilot regained access to the cockpit at 10:42 UTC, ten minutes after he had initially left.
Upon entering, the commander found the co-pilot in a disoriented and unwell state. According to the report, he was pale, sweating heavily, and showing unusual physical movements, prompting the commander to call for immediate help.
The cabin crew responded, assisted by a doctor who was traveling as a passenger. After conducting a brief assessment, the doctor suspected a possible cardiac condition.
With the co-pilot’s condition rapidly deteriorating, the commander made the decision to divert the aircraft to the nearest suitable airport. The plane safely landed in Madrid 20 minutes later.
Medical personnel met the aircraft on the ground, and the co-pilot was transferred for treatment.
Subsequent evaluations confirmed that he had been suffering from a medical issue that had not been identified during the standard medical examinations conducted to determine pilot fitness.
His flying licence has been suspended
“Aeronautical medical examinations are designed to assess pilots’ physical and mental fitness, but some health problems can remain hidden if symptoms are not present during the evaluation. This underscores the importance of continuous health monitoring for pilots and the need for efficient response procedures to address medical emergencies in flight,” the report read.
According to the International Aviation Academy, most modern planes can fly themselves using autopilot technology, but this can never replace human pilots.
Pilots make decisions based on judgment, experience, and intuition qualities that computer systems do not possess. As such, autopilot is primarily engaged for routine tasks.
A pilot’s presence is crucial, especially in situations where things go off script or become unpredictable.
