A Lufthansa flight carrying 205 people, including 199 passengers and six crew members, flew without a pilot for 10 minutes on February 17, 2024, after the copilot fainted in the cockpit. The incident occurred during a flight from Frankfurt to Seville, Spain, on an Airbus A321.
The captain had briefly left the cockpit to use the lavatory, leaving the copilot alone in control of the aircraft. While the captain was away, the copilot suffered a medical emergency and lost consciousness. Despite the absence of a pilot, the plane continued to fly stably due to its autopilot system. However, the copilot unintentionally operated some controls during this time.
Emergency Response and Investigation
The captain returned to the cockpit and attempted to open the door using a regular code but received no response. After five attempts and an intercom call from a crew member, the captain used an emergency code to gain access and took control of the aircraft. An air-traffic controller had also attempted to reach the copilot up to three times without response.
An investigation by Spain’s accident investigation authority, CIAIAC, determined that the copilot’s incapacitation was due to a pre-existing neurological condition that was not detected during his aeronautical medical examination. The copilot’s medical certificate has since been suspended. Lufthansa confirmed awareness of the report and stated that its internal safety team had also investigated the incident.
Rare but Not Unprecedented
The CIAIAC described the incident as an “extraordinary circumstance” and noted that captains are trained for situations where another pilot becomes incapacitated. According to the authority, in-flight incapacitations, including sudden deaths of pilots, do occur. The CIAIAC identified 287 in-flight pilot incapacitations in a European Commission database between 2019 and 2024. A 2004 US Federal Aviation Administration report found 39 in-flight incapacitations among American airline pilots over a six-year period.