Madrid [Spain], May 18: A Lufthansa flight was flown by autopilot when the copilot, alone in the cockpit as the pilot had stepped away to use the bathroom, fainted, Spanish investigators said in a report about an incident last year that was released on Saturday.
The Airbus A321 flew without a pilot in charge for 10 minutes, the Spanish accident investigation authority CIAIAC said of the flight on February 17, 2024 from Frankfurt to Seville.
Lufthansa confirmed it was aware of the report and said its flight safety department had conducted an extensive internal investigation into the incident. But the company did not disclose the results of its investigation, stating, "We ask for your understanding that we will not comment beyond the investigation report."
Although the unconscious co-pilot apparently unintentionally operated the controls, the aircraft continued to fly stably thanks to the active autopilot.
The voice recorder captured strange noises in the cockpit during this time which were consistent with an acute medical emergency, the report said.
Some 10 minutes later, the captain managed to open the cockpit security door using an emergency code. He had completed training for such an eventuality a month beforehand.
The captain entered the normal door opening code five times in vain, which triggers a buzzer in the cockpit for the co-pilot to release the door, the report said.
A stewardess tried to contact the co-pilot using the onboard telephone. It is not possible to open these security doors by force as they are designed to prevent hijackings.
Eventually, the captain entered an emergency code, which allows the door to be opened without assistance from the cockpit. Just before the door would have opened automatically, the co-pilot managed to open it from the inside, despite his illness.
The pilot then decided to land the plane in Madrid as the co-pilot was very pale, sweating profusely and making strange movements.
The aircraft, which had 199 passengers and six crew members on board, landed safely and the co-pilot was brought to hospital. He had already received medical attention while on board from a doctor who was travelling on the plane.
The report found the co-pilot showed no signs of a pre-existing condition from past medical examinations and current tests.
Second person needed in cockpit at all times? The incident prompts a reassessment of the recurring question as to whether airlines should reintroduce continuous double occupancy in the cockpit for safety reasons.
The report urged the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to encourage flight operators to reassess relevant safety guidelines.
It is advisable that a second authorized person should always be present in the cockpit when one of the two pilots has to leave for a toilet break or other tasks, the report said. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune
