The first officer became incapacitated midflight.
A Lufthansa Airbus A321 (Photo: Shutterstock | Robert Buchel)
A Lufthansa Airbus A321 flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Seville, Spain, was forced to make an emergency landing in Madrid after the first officer suffered sudden and severe incapacitation while temporarily alone in the cockpit, according to a technical report released by Spain’s national aviation safety agency.
On Feb. 17, 2024, Lufthansa flight LH77X departed Frankfurt en route to Seville with 199 passengers and six crew members aboard. At approximately 10:31 UTC, when the aircraft was cruising over the northeastern region of Spain, about 88 nautical miles northeast of Madrid, the captain left the flight deck to use the forward lavatory.
Prior to leaving, the captain and first officer had discussed weather conditions and aircraft operations, with the first officer appearing “able and alert,” according to the captain’s statements in the investigation.
Eight minutes later, at 10:39 UTC, the captain attempted to reenter the flight deck using the standard entry procedure but received no response. After three unsuccessful attempts and an unanswered intercom call from a cabin crew member, the captain resorted to the emergency access code.
Before the emergency timer expired to unlock the door, the first officer manually opened the door from inside.
Upon entry, the captain found the first officer in distress — pale, sweating, and exhibiting unusual movements. The captain immediately took control of the aircraft at 10:42 UTC and called for assistance from the cabin crew.
Overlooking the flight deck on an Airbus A320 series aircraft over Europe (Photo: James Dinsdale)
A passenger who was a doctor provided first aid and diagnosed a possible heart condition, which prompted the captain to divert to Madrid, the nearest suitable airport, where they landed approximately 20 minutes later.
The investigation determined that the first officer had experienced “sudden and severe incapacitation” that prevented him from continuing his duties. The pilot later stated he had lost consciousness so suddenly that he was unable to warn other crew members. He recalled flying over Zaragoza but had no memory of events until being attended to by the crew and doctor.
“The investigation has concluded that the cause of the co-pilot’s incapacitation was the manifestation of a symptom of a condition that had not previously been detected either by the pilot himself or during the aeronautical medical examination,” the report stated.
The first officer maintained a valid Class 1 medical with no limitations. His last medical exam was in May 2023.
According to the agency’s aeronautical medical service, the first officer’s illness would only have been detectable in a medical examination if symptoms had been present during the examination or had manifested previously. The report noted that this illness is disqualifying for obtaining or maintaining medical fitness to fly.
The investigation revealed that for approximately 10 minutes, the aircraft flew in cruise phase with autopilot engaged but without proper supervision, as the captain was absent and the first officer was incapacitated.
“This incident has highlighted the benefit of having another authorised person on the flight deck when one of the two pilots leaves for physiological or operational reasons,” the report concluded. The agency deemed it appropriate to issue a safety recommendation to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regarding this matter.
The investigation noted that Lufthansa had previously required a cabin crew member to remain on the flight deck whenever one pilot was absent but had since modified this procedure after determining “it did not increase the safety of its operation.”
“If another authorized person had been present on the flight deck, they could have quickly identified the co-pilot’s incapacitation, alerted the rest of the crew and opened the flight deck security door so that the captain could swiftly take control of the aircraft,” the report stated.
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