Airliner flew 10 minutes without pilot in medical emergency, report finds

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A flight from Germany to Spain flew for up to 10 minutes without a pilot at the controls last year after the co-pilot lost consciousness, a report from Spanish aviation authorities found.

The aircraft in question, a Lufthansa Airbus A321, took off from Frankfurt Airport in Germany on Feb. 17, 2024, bound for Seville, Spain, according to the report released last week by Spanish government’s Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC).

The co-pilot had a seizure tied to an undiagnosed neurological condition just as the pilot left the cockpit to use the restroom, according to the report – leaving the aircraft without an operator for several minutes before the pilot and crew realized something was wrong. None of the flight’s 199 passengers were injured.

“After the captain left the cockpit and the co-pilot suffered sudden and severe incapacitation, the aircraft continued flying for approximately 10 minutes in cruise mode with the autopilot engaged, but without additional supervision from either pilot,” the report found.

The incident prompted an official investigation, with the resulting report highlighting the benefit of having another authorized person on the flight deck when one of the two pilots has to leave.

Lufthansa said in a statement Monday that it is aware of the report and has conducted its own investigation while providing “intensive and comprehensive support” to Spanish authorities.

A number of unrelated incidents, including mechanical failures, pilot errors, close calls and midair crashes, have made headlines and fueled fears of flying in recent years – even though aviation experts say these types of issues are rare and flying remains a very safe method of transport.

The Lufthansa pilot, who is not named in the report but is identified as 43-year-old man, left the flight deck at 10:31 a.m. to go to the bathroom, after speaking with his co-pilot about the weather and the operation of the aircraft. The pilot told investigators that the co-pilot, with whom he had flown for three days out of a four-day rotation, appeared “fit” and “attentive.”

When the pilot returned from the bathroom at 10:39 a.m., he was unable to access the flight deck. At first he assumed he had made a mistake in entering the standard access code, but after five failed attempts, and a failed attempt to contact the flight deck through the intercom, the pilot switched to an emergency procedure using a separate access code on a timer.

Before that process was complete, the co-pilot opened the door from the inside. He was “pale, sweating, and moving strangely,” the report said, so the pilot asked for assistance from the crew and took control of the aircraft at 10:42 a.m.

Crew members administered first aid, and a doctor who was a passenger on the flight helped treat the co-pilot and diagnosed him with “a possible heart condition,” the report said. The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the plane to Adolfo Suárez Madrid Barajas Airport and landed there about 20 minutes later, the report said.

The incident has shone a spotlight on the issue of pilot incapacitation – a rare but not unheard of occurrence when a pilot becomes partially or totally incapacitated and is unable to perform their duties while flying.

It comes amid efforts by some aircraft manufacturers to reduce the number of pilots needed on flights – and critics, including pilots unions, often cite pilot incapacitation as an example of why they believe two people are needed in flight decks at all times. Some recall the case of a Turkish Airlines pilot who died during an October flight from Seattle to Istanbul. In that incident, there were two other pilots in the cockpit, who were able to make an emergency landing in New York.

Though incidents like these are highly publicized, in-flight incapacitation as a consequence of medical problems remains rare: A report released last year by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency states that it occurs only up to 0.45 times per 10 million flight hours. The report highlighted the importance of “periodical medical screening” of pilots to minimize “incapacitation risk.”

According to the CIAIC report, the co-pilot, who is identified as a 38-year-old man, received a medical evaluation about nine months before he lost consciousness on the flight deck, and his medical clearance was valid for another three and a half months. His condition would only have been detectable during a medical examination if he had been having symptoms during the exam, the report said, citing the aeronautical medical service of the Spanish Air Safety Agency.

Once on the ground, the co-pilot was taken to a hospital for treatment, according to the report. He stated that he recalled was flying over Zaragoza in northern Spain and that he suddenly lost consciousness but didn’t remember when. Authorities suspended his medical certificate to fly while the investigation was underway.

CIAIAC did not immediately respond to a question from The Washington Post on Monday about whether his certificate remains suspended.