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Ten minutes without a pilot on a Lufthansa flight Frankfurt-Seville, co-pilot falls ill

The accident occurred on 17 February on a flight from Frankfurt to Seville: the A321 flew on automatic while the co-pilot was unconscious and the captain was out of the cabin

A Lufthansa flight with 205 people on board was out of direct human control for about 10 minutes after the co-pilot fainted while alone in the cockpit. The incident, which took place on 17 February 2024 on an Airbus A321 en route from Frankfurt to Seville, was revealed in an official report by CIAIAC, the Spanish aviation safety authority.

According to the reconstruction, the captain had temporarily left the cabin to go to the toilet. During his absence, the co-pilot lost consciousness, involuntarily operating some controls, while the plane continued on course thanks to the autopilot.

On board were 199 passengers and six crew members. The on-board voice recorder detected noises consistent with the copilot’s sudden incapacitation, but no response to three calls from an air traffic controller.

The captain attempted several times to re-enter the cabin using the standard opening code, which activates an acoustic signal. After five failed attempts and a further call via intercom from the crew, the captain used the emergency code to force entry and regain control of the aircraft.

The co-pilot was subsequently rescued, but no further details on his condition have been released. The CIAIAC is continuing its investigation to determine the cause of the sudden illness. No passengers were injured and the plane landed safely in Seville.

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