Berlin – A Lufthansa flight to Spain last year was without a pilot for 10 minutes after the co -pilot passed out while it was alone in the cabin, the German news agency DPA reported on Saturday.
During Frankfurt to Seville, Spain, on February 17, 2024, the co -pilot of an Airbus A321 passed out while the captain was in the bathroom, DPA reported, referring to a report by the Spanish accident investigation authority CIAC.
The plane, which transported to 199 passengers and six crew members, flew for about 10 minutes without a pilot under the plane, according to the report.
Lufthansa told DPA that he was aware of the investigation report and that his own flight security department had also conducted an investigation. The company did not reveal its results, said DPA.
Although the unconscious co -pilot apparently operated the controls unintentionally, the plane could continue to fly stable thanks to the active autopilot. During this period of time, the voice recorder recorded strange noises in the cabin that were consistent with an acute health emergency, DPA reported.
Initially, the captain tried to enter the regular door opening code, which triggers a timbre in the cabin so that the co -pilot can open the door. He did it five times without being able to enter the cabin. A hostess tried to contact the co -pilot with the phone on board.
Finally, the captain wrote an emergency code that would have allowed him to open the door on his own. However, shortly before the door had automatically opened, the co -pilot opened it from the inside despite being sick, DPA said.
Then, the pilot decided to make an unplanned landing in Madrid, where his colleague was taken to a hospital.
