Lufthansa flight flew without a pilot for 10 minutes in the air as the first officer fainted in the cockpit

New Delhi (India) May 18: In a strange and scary mid-air incident, a Lufthansa flight carrying over 200 people from Germany to Spain flew for 10 minutes without a pilot because the captain was in the restroom and the first officer passed out.

The incident happened a year ago, but after an investigation, the results have now been released. In February 2024, an Airbus A321, with 199 passengers and 6 crew members, was traveling from Frankfurt, Germany to Seville, Spain.

About 30 minutes before the end of the trip, the captain went to the restroom on the flight deck. He informed investigators that the first officer appeared to be doing well that time.

However, he was unable to reenter the cockpit when the captain returned eight minutes later.

The first officer claimed to have suddenly lost consciousness in an interview with investigators.

The captain made five attempts to enter the entry code for the security door. A flight attendant tried to reach the first officer through the intercom at the same time.

His condition was hard to identify, according to the Spanish aviation regulator, and would only show up in medical tests if his symptoms had been present at the time or had taken place before.

According to reports, the unconscious co-pilot accidentally controlled the controls and the activated autopilot allowed the aircraft to continue flying properly. The voice recorder recorded strange sounds in the cockpit during this time, which indicated a major medical problem.

After that, the pilot made the decision to land in Madrid, where his coworker was transported to a hospital.

Spanish investigators released their full report on Thursday, revealing all the incident's details.

Aadrika Tayal