Plane carrying more than 200 people was unmanned for 10 minutes

According to India Times , the incident of a plane carrying 205 people without a pilot for 10 minutes happened in February 2024 but the incident was only recently announced after an investigation.

At that time, the Lufthansa Airbus A321, carrying 199 passengers and 6 crew members, was on a journey from Frankfurt, Germany, to Seville, Spain.

The 43-year-old captain left the cockpit to go to the bathroom. He said the first officer, 38, was fine and conscious. The captain returned about eight minutes later but was unable to enter the cockpit despite entering his security access code. He tried to contact the cockpit but was unsuccessful.

He then entered the emergency code to open the door. At the same time, the co-pilot regained consciousness and opened the door from the inside. The captain called the flight attendant for assistance after seeing the co-pilot's pale face and sweating,...

"The co-pilot received first aid from a doctor, who was a passenger on the plane. He was diagnosed with heart disease," according to a report by Spanish aviation investigators.

The co-pilot said he did not know how long he had been unconscious. "He does not remember exactly when he lost consciousness. Before that, he remembered flying over Zaragoza, and the next thing he knew, he was being attended to by the crew and a doctor," the report added.

The co-pilot was determined to have suddenly lost consciousness and was unable to notify other crew members.

When the captain returned to the controls, he diverted to Madrid, the nearest airport at the time. The first officer was taken to hospital for a check-up. His medical certificate was suspended.

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