First Officer Suffers a Seizure As the Captain Took a Bathroom Break

Spanish investigators recently shared what truly happened in a 2024 Lufthansa incident that left an Airbus A321 pilotless for 10 minutes. The event serves as a brutally honest reminder of how single-pilot operations could endanger safety.

On February 17, 2024, a Lufthansa A321-200 departed from Germany’s Frankfurt Airport (FRA) with a destination of Sevilla Airport (SVQ) in Spain. The plane was cruised out and on autopilot, making the captain comfortable enough to leave the cockpit for a normal bathroom break after going over weather conditions with the first officer.

In the few minutes that the captain was missing, the first officer lost consciousness and began to unintentionally hit buttons and move controls. Minutes later, the captain returned and attempted to re-enter the cockpit. However, despite standard and emergency override codes being entered, the door refused to open. Flight attendants noticed the issue at hand and tried to reach the first officer using the crew phone.

The first officer eventually regained consciousness enough to open the cockpit door and let the captain in. The flight was then diverted to the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD). Once it was safely on the ground, the first officer was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

In total, the A321’s autopilot was solely responsible for the lives of all 199 passengers and 6 crew members for around 10 minutes.

The Spanish Civil Aviation Accident and Incident Investigation Commission (CIAIAC) completed its probe in May 2025, noting that the first officer had experienced a seizure due to an undiagnosed neurological condition. He had been flying with the crew for four days and was described by the captain as “fit and attentive” just moments before falling unconscious. 

Though all ended well, investigators asked the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to discuss the risks of having one pilot abandon the cockpit during flight with airlines. This comes as EASA continues to evaluate the potential of allowing extended minimum crew operations (eMCO) and single pilot operations.

FMI: www.lufthansa.com