"The plane flew for 10 minutes without a pilot" - details of a report about a Lufthansa flight in February last year are revealed

In February 2024, a Lufthansa plane flew out of control over Spain for ten minutes. The captain was in the toilet, his co-pilot fainted.

So, as they report German media, reports the Telegraph, highlights an investigation report which is now available.

According to them, during a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Seville, the co-pilot of an Airbus A321 fainted while the captain was in the toilet.

This is the result of an investigative report by the Spanish accident investigation authority CIAIAC on the serious incident that occurred on February 17, 2024.

According to the report, the plane flew for about ten minutes without a controlling pilot.

When asked, Lufthansa simply stated that it was aware of the investigation report.

In addition, Lufthansa's flight safety department also conducted its own extensive investigation.

However, the company did not disclose the results.

"We ask for your understanding that we will not comment beyond the investigation report," the brief written statement concluded.

As further noted, although the co-pilot, unconscious, apparently inadvertently operated the controls, the plane was able to continue flying steadily thanks to the active autopilot.

Strange noises

During those minutes, the voice recorder recorded strange noises in the cockpit that were consistent with an acute health emergency, according to the report.

Only about ten minutes later did the captain manage to open the cockpit security door using an emergency code.

He had completed training for such emergencies just a month earlier.

He unsuccessfully tried to enter the normal door opening code five times, which caused a noise in the cockpit.

A flight attendant also tried to contact the co-pilot using the on-board phone.

Meanwhile, it further states, security doors, designed to prevent plane hijackings, cannot be forced open.

Finally, the captain pressed an emergency code that allowed the door to be opened without any intervention from the cockpit.

Since the co-pilot was pale, sweating profusely, and making strange movements, the commander decided to land in Madrid.

The plane landed safely there with 199 passengers and six crew members on board.

The co-pilot, who had received first aid from a doctor on board, was immediately taken to the hospital.

The report shows that neither the 38-year-old's previous medical examinations nor the person himself had any indication of a pre-existing condition.

The old security question arose again

The incident raises the age-old safety question of whether airlines should reintroduce the continuous double crewing of cockpits.

The report calls on the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to encourage airline operators to reassess relevant safety guidelines.

It is advised that a second authorized person be always present in the cockpit if one of the two pilots needs to leave it to go to the toilet or for other duties. /Telegraph/