Plan flies for 10 minutes without pilot and over 200 on board: Report

An Lufthansa plan flew without a pilot for 10 minutes after the Copilot received a medical issue while he was alone in the cockpit, a report has stated.

The incident occurred on February 17, 2024, while the Airbus A321 aircraft traveled from Frankfurt, Germany, to Seville in Spain, according to the translated Report from Spain’s Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC).

The report stated six crew members and 199 passengers were on board at that time.

According to Associated PressCopilot fainted after the pilot stood up to use the bathroom, with reference to the German news agency German Press Office (DPA).

According to the report, the copilot received “a sudden and severe inability” while “alone on the airmen”, but the aircraft “landed without incident” and the Copiloten was taken to the hospital on landing.

“The aircraft continued to fly for about 10 minutes, in the cruise phase with the autopilot that is engaged, but without further monitoring from any of the pilots,” stated the translated report.

“The captain decided to land at the nearest airport in view of the emergency situation. This enabled Copilot to get medical care as quickly as possible,” added the report.

The AP stated that the pilot made an “unplanned landing” in Madrid, with the report that listed the Spanish city as the event site.

“The sudden and severe inability of the copilot was a symptom of a disease that was not detected either by the pilot or during the flying medical examination,” the translated report was specified.

It also noted, “The event has been highlighted by having another authorized person on the flight deck when one of the two pilots leaves for physiological or operational reasons. It has been considered appropriate to issue an operational security recommendation to (European Union Security Office) EASA in this regard.”

The report also claimed that “moments before” the medical question “, both pilots had a conversation about the weather situation and operation of the aircraft, where the captain did not notice anything unusual in Copilot’s behavior.”

The results stated that the “autopilot and pressure system remained committed and maintained the flight” during the incident.

The report dedicated, “Under his inability, Copilot was unintentionally switched and acted on air controls.”

Per CNNThe pilot tried to open the door “with a regular opening code, which clocks the cockpit” five times, while a cockpit crew member also “placed an intercom call to the flight deck.” Sound in accordance with the medical results was discovered on the voice recorder after Copilot’s “sudden and serious inability”, according to the outlet.

An air traffic control unit also reportedly tried to reach the Copilot up to three times, but received no answer, the outlet stated.

The pilot eventually managed to gain access to the flight deck with an “emergency access code”, the report claimed.

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Lufthansa said its aviation safety department had also conducted an investigation into the incident, the AP reported, with reference to DPA, but the company did not reveal the results. The airline said it was aware of CIAIAC’s report, the news agency said.

Lufthansa did not answer immediately when contacted by People for further information.