Emergency in the cockpit: co-pilot passed out, aircraft flies alone!

Emergency in the cockpit: co-pilot passed out, aircraft flies alone!

An alarming incident occurred on May 17, 2025 when a Lufthansa machine was traveling under critical circumstances on a flight from Frankfurt to Seville in February 2024. According to the Kleine Zeitung, the co-pilot was passed out during the flight.

The captain, who had left the cockpit for a break at the time, was only absent when the co-pilot collapsed 36 seconds after leaving. Thanks to the active autopilot, however, the machine was able to fly stably and ultimately land safely in Madrid, where 199 passengers and six crew members were on board [n-tv] (https://www.n-tv.de/panorama/lufthansa-maschen-flieg

reaction of the crew and emergency measures

The reaction to the incident was described by the responsible Ciaiac authority as professional and effective. During the co-pilot, which showed signs of health-he was pale, sweated strongly and made strange movements-fought for help, the captain tried several times to open the security door to the cockpit with a code. After five unsuccessful entries, he finally entered an emergency code that unlocked the door. The co-pilot managed to open the door manually shortly before it opened automatically.

It is important to mention that the co-pilot had suffered a seizure that resulted in unintentional switch actuations. A doctor who traveled with the doctor did first aid on the way, and the co-pilot was taken to the hospital after the safe landing. Studies showed that it was an epilepsy-like attack, but there were no indications of previous illnesses of the 38-year-old co-pilot.

security concerns and recommendations

The incident raises important security questions to double the cockpit. Based on these events, the European Air Security Agency (EASA) is asked to rethink the existing security guidelines. The report recommends that a second authorized person should always be present in the cockpit if a pilot leaves the cockpit. EASA had already made a similar recommendation after the Germanwings crash in 2015.

Current EASA considerations take into account the operational experience since the "2 people in the cockpit" recommendation and pursue a flexible, risk -based approach. The operator is asked to carry out a risk analysis in order to evaluate the need for the occupation regulations, such as EASA.

The incident emphasizes the need to further strengthen the security in air traffic and adapt existing guidelines to ensure that passengers and crew well.