Following last week’s
incident, in which a LATAM
Airlines suddenly plunged downward in mid-flight, major aircraft manufacturer
Boeing
is advising airlines to inspect switches on cockpit seats aboard their 787
Dreamliner planes as a precautionary measure. According to AP
News, a published report pointed to these switches as the apparent cause of
last week’s incident.
Although Boeing
did not link this memo to what happened aboard LATAM Flight 800, bound from Australia
to New
Zealand, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that the advisory was
issued in response to the terrifying incident and that the agency was putting
together a panel of experts to review the manufacturer’s message to airlines.
Chile-based LATAM Airlines
initially described the incident as “a technical event during the flight which
caused a strong movement”, saying in a later update that the aircraft, “experienced
a strong shake during flight, the cause of which is currently under
investigation.”
Passengers onboard
reported being thrown from their seats and into the cabin ceiling and aisles
when the Dreamliner suddenly dropped without warning. Emergency crews in
Auckland reported approximately 50 injuries as a result of the incident.
First introduced
in 2011, the 787 Dreamliner is primarily used for long international flights
and the model involved in the LATAM incident can accommodate up to approximately
300 passengers. Leading U.S. carriers, like United Airlines and American
Airlines, operate a significant number of these aircraft as part of their
long-haul fleets. However, American Airlines indicated that Boeing's recommendation
would not impact its operations, while United Airlines issued no comment at all.
According to a
report by The Wall Street Journal, preliminary findings from the investigation have
suggested that a flight attendant serving a meal in the cockpit inadvertently hit
a switch on the back of the seat, causing the pilot to be pushed into the
controls, which caused the plane to plunge downward.
Boeing's
recommendation to airlines includes checking the switches to ensure they are
securely covered, as they should not be used during flights, and providing
instructions on how to deactivate the seat motor.
Meanwhile, Chile's
aviation regulator has dispatched investigators to New Zealand to lead the
investigation into the incident, in accordance with international protocols.
The investigation has yet to release any official findings.
This latest in-air
accident may heighten the scrutiny that Boeing already finds itself under, as
the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Justice Department
continue to conduct their own
individual probes into January’s mishap involving an Alaska Airlines 737
Max 9 aircraft whose door
plug blew out and depressurized the cabin during its descent.
That incident seemed
to set off a series of unfortunate events involving Boeing planes, including the
737 Max 9 getting grounded for inspection, the FAA
ordering the manufacturer to halt its production expansion and more unnerving
incidents have continued to occur—including one in which a plane’s engine burst
into flames and another in which a wheel
fell off during takeoff, landing on cars in a nearby parking lot.
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