Jet carrying 200 passengers flies for ten minutes with NO PILOT when first officer collapses in cockpit while captain was in the toilet on flight to Spain

By KUMAIL JAFFER

Published: 14:06 BST, 16 May 2025 | Updated: 14:36 BST, 16 May 2025

More than 200 passengers were left without a pilot for 10 minutes on a Lufthansa flight from Germany to Spain last year, investigators have found.

The captain left the cockpit to visit the bathroom just as the Airbus A321 was due to cross the Spanish border, leaving the first officer in charge as the flight approached its final half hour.

Just eight minutes later, he was unable to get back into the room as his co-pilot lost consciousness.

The flight, from Frankfurt to Seville, appeared to be running smoothly and was cruising when disaster almost struck.

The captain tried to enter the security door’s access code five times, while a flight attendant tried to contact the first officer on the intercom. 

Eventually, after receiving no response, the captain used the emergency access code. 

Before the timer for this expired, the first officer was able to recover enough to open the door. 

The captain immediately called for help after seeing the ‘pale, sweating’ co-pilot ‘moving strangely’. 

Cabin crew and a doctor, who was travelling as a passenger, administered first aid, while the captain diverted to Madrid — the nearest airport at the time.

Upon landing, the first officer was taken to the hospital.

The captain left the cockpit to visit the bathroom just as the Airbus A321 was due to cross the Spanish border, leaving the first officer in charge as the flight approached its final half hour

The Lufthansa flight, from Frankfurt to Seville, appeared to be running smoothly and was cruising when disaster almost struck

Investigators have now recommended that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency inform all airlines about the incident

His “sudden and severe incapacitation” was the result of a seizure disorder caused by a neurological condition, according to investigators.

The Spanish aviation regulator said his condition was difficult to detect — and would only appear in a medical exam if his symptoms had been present at the time or had occurred before. 

Investigators have now recommended that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency inform all airlines about the incident.

They also suggested reassessing the risks of one pilot being left alone on the flight deck. 

Full details of the incident came to light on Thursday, when Spanish investigators published their final report. 

Lufthansa declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.

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Jet carrying 200 passengers flies for ten minutes with NO PILOT when first officer collapses in cockpit while captain was in the toilet on flight to Spain

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