Boeing tells pilots to check seats after Latam plane incident
Boeing has instructed airlines operating 787 Dreamliners to conduct seat checks for pilots while an investigation into an incident on a Latam flight remains ongoing.
Following an incident earlier this week where 50 individuals sustained injuries during a Latam Airlines flight when the 787 experienced a sudden drop, The Wall Street Journal disclosed that a flight attendant accidentally activated a switch on the pilot’s seat, causing the pilot to come into contact with the controls and resulting in the aircraft’s nose being forced downward.
Latam is actively cooperating with the ongoing investigations.
During the occurrence, passengers were thrown upwards, hitting the plane’s ceiling, as it traveled from Australia to New Zealand.
Brian Jokat, a passenger at the time, mentioned that several individuals suffered head injuries, and he observed that the impact was so severe that it caused some of the roof panels to break.
He further recounted to the BBC that one individual seated next to him seemed to be “stuck to the ceiling” due to the force of the impact.
“I did think for a split second: ‘This is it’,” he said.
Emergency services later said one person was in a serious condition.
Boeing said: “The investigation of Flight LA800 is ongoing and we defer to the investigation authorities on any potential findings.”
“We have taken the precautionary measure of reminding 787 operators of a service bulletin issued in 2017 which included instructions for inspecting and maintaining switches on flight deck seats.”
It recommended that operators perform an inspection of the switches “at the next maintenance opportunity”.
Chilean-Brazilian carrier Latam Airlines said it “continues to work in coordination with the authorities to support the ongoing investigation”.
The aircraft was scheduled to fly on from Auckland to Santiago, the capital of Chile.
The departure was canceled and a new flight was scheduled for Tuesday.
The incident comes after a door panel came off a Boeing plane in January this year, with a report in February finding bolts meant to secure the panel were missing.
And this week, a former Boeing employee known for raising concerns about the firm’s production standards was found dead in the US.
