A Lufthansa passenger plane encountered several dangerous situations during the flight: when one of the pilots, either the captain or the co-pilot, temporarily left the cockpit, the other suddenly experienced a physical abnormality, leaving the aircraft in an unmanned state for nearly 10 minutes, with 205 people on board once hanging by a thread.

According to a report cited by the German Press Agency (dpa) on May 17, this incident occurred on February 17, 2023, involving an Airbus A321 aircraft flying the Frankfurt-Seville route. The aircraft carried a total of 199 passengers and 6 crew members.

The investigation found that at the time of the incident, the 38-year-old co-pilot suddenly suffered from severe physical discomfort when the captain briefly left his seat to use the restroom.

Just 36 seconds after the captain left the cockpit, the co-pilot lost consciousness without warning, unable to respond to broadcasts or open the cockpit door. This left the captain, who was preparing to return to the cockpit by entering a password, in a difficult situation.

The report stated that during this period, the co-pilot did not respond to any calls and failed to react to the captain's request to open the door. Due to safety settings, the cockpit door automatically locked. The captain attempted multiple password entries but failed, eventually preparing to activate the emergency door-opening procedure.

In a critical moment, the co-pilot regained consciousness about 10 minutes later and managed to manually open the door, allowing the captain to return to the cockpit and immediately take measures to divert the flight.

After returning to the cockpit, the captain immediately requested assistance from the crew and called for a doctor on board for emergency care.

The investigation report stated that the co-pilot at the time had "a pale face, excessive sweating, and strange behavior." The doctor initially judged that he might have a heart-related illness and recommended immediate medical attention.

As a result, the captain decided to change course and fly the flight to Madrid-Barajas Airport in Spain.

Twenty minutes later, the aircraft landed safely. Fortunately, all 205 passengers and crew members were unharmed, with no injuries or damage to the aircraft.

The co-pilot was then sent to the hospital and reported having no memory of the disabled period. Afterward, the Spanish National Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) immediately suspended his pilot qualification certificate and launched a health assessment.

Relevant institutions pointed out that such physical abnormalities may be difficult to detect in routine physical examinations and will only be exposed when they occur.

Although there were no casualties in this incident, it once again raised concerns among the industry and society regarding aviation safety operating procedures.

CIAIAC called in the report for the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to re-examine relevant safety regulations, suggesting that at least two crew members should remain in the cockpit when one pilot is away to deal with emergencies.

In fact, this issue has been raised before. In 2015, a Germanwings co-pilot under the subsidiary of Lufthansa deliberately crashed the plane, causing the deaths of 150 people, shocking the world. After the incident, many countries in Europe required airlines to implement the "two-person cockpit" system, meaning that when one pilot leaves, an attendant must temporarily enter the cockpit.

However, this policy has been quietly canceled in some areas in recent years, relying more on technical prevention, such as password systems and emergency door-opening devices. This incident also revealed the potential limitations of these systems—if a pilot in the cockpit experiences a health problem and the door does not open in time, it could lead to catastrophic consequences.

The sudden seizure of the co-pilot causing "ten minutes of无人control in the air" did not result in tragedy, but it also sounded another alarm for the global aviation industry.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7505585276622946816/

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