A PASSENGER plane soared over Europe with no pilot for a terrifying ten minutes after the first officer passed out alone in the cockpit.
The chilling ordeal happened on a routine Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Seville in February 2024.
More than 200 people were on board the Airbus A321 when the frightening few minutes transpired.
Revelations of the incident came to light this week as Spanish investigators published their final report.
For most of the flight, everything proceeded as normal – right up until the plane crossed over the Spanish border.
With half an hour left to go, the captain left the flight deck to use the toilet.
He would later tell investigators that his colleague seemed in good condition at this point.
The two pilots reportedly chatted about weather conditions and the operation of the aircraft just before the captain left.
But during this brief trip to the loo, the first officerlost consciousness in the cockpit.
The captain tried to get back in via the security door, attempting to enter the code five times.
A flight attendant tried to reach the first officer via intercom at the same time.
This prompted the captain to try an emergency access code, although the first officer recovered enough to open the door manually before the timer expired.
The first officer’s condition was described as “pale, sweating, and moving strangely”;;.
Cabin crew and a doctor – a passenger on the flight – administered first aid to the first officer while the captain diverted the plane to Madrid, which was the nearest airport.
The co-pilot was taken to hospital once the plane touched down in the Spanish capital.
Investigators have deemed that his “sudden and severe incapacitation”;; was the product of a seizure disorder caused by a neurological condition.
According to the Spanish aviation regulator this condition would be difficult to detect.
They deemed it would only appear in a medical exam if symptoms were present at the time – or of they had occurred before.
Investigators recommended that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency inform airlines about the incident.
Lufthansa did not immediately respond to The Sun’s request for comment.
