I wonder if the cowardly bastard gave himself a drug to go unconscious, so he wouldn’t have to face what he was making everyone else face. The audio supposedly revealed calm, steady breathing all the way down. I find it hard to believe that from his view in the cockpit he didn’t even start breathing harder as he listened to the pounding on the door and the screams and watched the ground come up.
I think you’re right.
He had to be awake. He had to reset the door lock again after 5 minutes otherwise it could be over-rided from outside.