Dangerous Incident in Lufthansa Cockpit – First Officer Lost Consciousness While Captain Was Absent
A serious incident occurred in the cockpit of a Lufthansa Airbus A321-200 operating the Frankfurt–Seville flight. According to a report published by Spain’s Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC), the event took place on April 11, 2024, while the aircraft was cruising at 35,000 feet southwest of Madrid.
The captain had temporarily left the cockpit for personal needs when the first officer, who remained alone in the cockpit, suffered a sudden and severe medical episode, rendering him incapable of performing his duties. During the episode, the first officer unintentionally interfered with some flight control systems. However, since the autopilot and autothrottle systems remained engaged, the aircraft continued flying on its intended course.
The incident reportedly went unnoticed for nearly 10 minutes. The captain attempted to re-enter the cockpit using the emergency access code, but the first officer manually unlocked the door from inside.
Upon regaining control of the situation, the captain decided to divert the flight to the nearest suitable airport, Madrid Barajas. The aircraft landed safely approximately 18 minutes after the event, and the first officer was handed over to medical personnel.
