Lufthansa co-pilot faints mid-flight while captain was in lavatory, plane left unattended for 10 minutes
A Lufthansa flight experienced a harrowing 10 minutes without a pilot when the first officer lost consciousness while the captain was in the washroom. The captain was locked out of the cockpit, raising concerns about flight safety protocols.
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A harrowing incident occurred on a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Seville, Spain in February 2024. The Airbus A321, carrying 199 passengers and six crew members, was left without a pilot for 10 minutes after the first officer lost consciousness and the captain was in the washroom.
The 43-year-old captain had left the flight deck to use the washroom, believing the first officer was fine and alert. However, when he returned eight minutes later, he was unable to access the flight deck despite entering the correct security code. The captain became frightened and called the deck through the intercom, but received no response.
The captain then entered the emergency code to open the gate, which coincided with the co-pilot regaining consciousness and manually opening the door from the inside. The co-pilot appeared pale, sweating, and disoriented, prompting the captain to call for assistance from the cabin crew.
The co-pilot, who was 38 years old, reported that he had lost consciousness suddenly and was unable to warn the other crew members. He remembered flying over Zaragoza, but his next memory was being attended to by the cabin crew and a doctor.
The captain took control of the plane and diverted it to Madrid, the closest airport at the time. The co-pilot was taken to a hospital, where doctors diagnosed a neurological condition as the cause of his sudden and severe incapacitation. As a result, his medical certificate was suspended.
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