CNN reported that according to a new report published on May 18, 2025 by the Spanish Air Traffic Accident Investigation Agency (CIAIAC), the incident occurred on February 17, 2024 on a flight from Frankfurt (Germany) to Seville (France). The Airbus A321 was then carrying 199 passengers and 6 crew members.
The incident originated when the captain left the cockpit for a moment to enter the restroom. At that moment, the deputy chief of staff - the person in charge of the cockpit alone - suddenly passed out.
Fortunately, the automatic steering system was still activated, so the aircraft continued to fly stably. However, the report said the sub system had accidentally impacted some controls when it fell, and that the sound recorded from the cockpit showed clear signs of "sudden and severe loss of control".
The unregulated inspector tried to contact the cockpit 3 times but did not receive any response. Meanwhile, the captain returned and tried to open the cockpit door using the usual access code, but no one inside responded. After 5 tries and 1 internal call from another crew member, the captain was forced to use an emergency code to get in and take over the control.
After entering the cockpit, the captain directed the plane to make an emergency landing at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport (Madrid, Spain) just 20 minutes later.
The deputy pilot was given first aid on the plane by the crew and a doctor who were there by chance. This person has regained consciousness and said he still remembers how he was given medical support.
According to the CIAIAC, the cause of unconsciousness was determined to be an underlying neurological disease that the subrests were unknown to. This condition was also not detected in previous aviation health check-ups. The medical certificate of the deputy pilot has been suspended.
The incident was considered a "special case" but was among the situations that the captain was trained to handle. Although rare, the CIAIAC stressed that pilots who lose their abilities while flying, even death, are still possible.
From 2019 to 2024, the agency recorded 287 cases of pilots who lost their abilities while flying in Europe. Previously, a 2004 report by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also recorded 39 similar cases in the US in the period 1993-1998.
Lufthansa said it had received the report from Spain and was also conducting an internal investigation into the incident, but had not yet released a conclusion.
