Frankfurt-Bound Eurowings Discovery Flight Arrives Safely

On 19 July 2023, the Second In Command (SIC) of a Eurowings Discover Airbus A320 took control of and landed the aircraft after the flight’s Pilot In Command (PIC) was reportedly incapacitated.

At the time of the incident, the aircraft—a seven-year-old Airbus A320-200 registration D-AIUT—was operating as Eurowings Discover Flight 4Y-1205, non-stop service from Greece’s Nikos Kazantzakis Heraklion International Airport (HER) to Germany’s Frankfurt Airport (FRA).

The SIC declared an emergency while on approach to FRA, reporting the PIC had become incapacitated and advising air traffic controllers he had assumed command and control of the aircraft. The Airbus landed safely on Frankfurt’s Runway 25L at approximately 12:00 CEST (Central European Summer Time - GMT +2)—only five-minutes behind schedule.

The SIC’s emergency declaration and the reason therefor compelled air traffic control to coordinate the dispatch of an air-ambulance helicopter which met the Airbus on the FRA apron and conveyed the stricken PIC to hospital.

German news reports made public in the incident’s wake set forth the SIC had only recently qualified in the A320-200.

Eurowings Discover—a DBA of Frankfurt-based German air-carrier EW Discover GmbH and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group—confirmed in a subsequent statement that a flight-deck medical exigency had occurred during Flight 4Y-1205. The statement further disclosed the aircraft had landed safely at FRA and the entirety of the jet’s passengers had disembarked “wohlbehalten” (safe and sound).

The A320-200 remained on the ground for approximately four-hours before departing at 16:09 CEST for the Canary Islands’ Fuerteventura El Matorral Airport (FUE) as Eurowings Discover Flight 4Y 300.

The incident-aircraft entered service with Lufthansa in 2016 and was transferred to the Eurowings Discover fleet in May 2022.

FMI: www.eurowings-discover.com/de