A medical emergency and one ill-timed bathroom break combined to create what could have been a disaster for 200 passengers traveling from Spain to Germany.
Though the incident occurred last year, details about what could have easily become a disastrous scenario are only just now coming to light following Spanish investigators publishing a full report on the February 2024 event.
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As Business Insider reports, a Lufthansa flight traveling from Frankfurt, Germany to Seville, Spain was left pilot-less for approximately 10 minutes due to unsettling circumstances. As the flight prepared to cross the border into Spain, with about 30 minutes of travel time left, the captain used the opportunity to take a quick bathroom break.
When he attempted to re-enter the cockpit eight minutes later, he was unable to do so despite attempting to input the door’s security code five separate times. A flight attendant attempted to assist by using the intercom to contact the first officer, but with no response.
While nothing had seemed amiss with the captain’s 38-year-old co-pilot, he reportedly lost consciousness at some point during his superior’s trip to the john. Eventually, the first officer regained consciousness and was able to open the door for the captain—leaving the flight unmanned for an estimated 10 minutes.
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The first officer was described as being “pale, sweating, and moving strangely,” so was quickly attended to by the flight crew and a doctor who was onboard. Meanwhile, the captain diverted the flight to Madrid, which was the closest airport, so that the pilot could seek immediate medical attention.
According to the investigators’ report, his “sudden and severe incapacitation” was due to a neurological disorder that was known to bring on seizures.
Business Insider wrote that, “Investigators recommended that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency tell all airlines about this incident, so they could reassess the risks of one pilot being left alone on the flight deck.”
Lufthansa did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
