Lufthansa flight co-pilot of an Airbus A321 collapses, plane flies on autopilot mode for 10 mins without human control

Lufthansa flight to Spain left pilotless for 10 minutes after co-pilot faints, autopilot keeps plane stable.

A Lufthansa flight to Spain last year went without a pilot for 10 minutes after the co-pilot fainted while he was alone in the cockpit, German news agency DPA reported on Saturday (May 17).

During the flight from Frankfurt to Seville, Spain, on February 17, 2024, the co-pilot of an Airbus A321 fainted while the captain was in the restroom, DPA reported, referring to a report by the Spanish accident investigation authority CIAIAC.

The aircraft, which was carrying 199 passengers and six crew members, flew for around 10 minutes without a pilot in command of the plane, according to the report.

Lufthansa told DPA that it was aware of the investigation report and that its own flight safety department had also conducted an investigation. The company didn’t disclose its results, DPA said.

Although the unconscious co-pilot apparently operated controls unintentionally, the aircraft was able to continue flying in a stable manner thanks to the active autopilot. During this time period, the voice recorder recorded strange noises in the cockpit that were consistent with an acute health emergency, DPA reported.

The captain initially tried entering the regular door opening code, which triggers a buzzer in the cockpit so that the co-pilot can open the door. He did so five times without being able to enter the cockpit. A stewardess tried to contact the co-pilot using the onboard telephone.

Finally, the captain typed in an emergency code that would have allowed him to open the door on his own. However, shortly before the door would have opened automatically, the co-pilot opened it from the inside despite being ill, DPA reported.