Summary
- Preliminary report on LATAM flight 800 confirms the pilot’s seat moved forward during the sudden drop incident on the Boeing 787 aircraft.
- Passengers experienced weightlessness during the dive, with many sustaining severe injuries on the 5th freedom flight between Sydney and Auckland.
- Boeing previously advised on an issue with the switch cap of the pilots’ seat in the 787 cockpit, potentially leading to unintended seat movement.
The pilot’s seat of a LATAM Boeing 787 aircraft involved in last month’s sudden drop incident is in focus. A preliminary report released by the authorities confirmed that the seat moved forward, potentially causing the aircraft to plunge and causing multiple injuries onboard.
Preliminary report is out
Last month, a LATAM Boeing 787 aircraft traveling on a 5th freedom flight between Sydney and Auckland was involved in a terrifying sudden drop at cruising altitude, injuring over 50 passengers. Many sustained severe injuries, with at least one person in critical condition.
It has been reported that passengers felt weightlessness during the dive, and anyone and anything not fastened hit the ceiling. According to the pilot, the instrumentation of the aircraft was lost briefly, but it eventually came back.
Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis | Shutterstock
A Hato Hone St John ambulance services representative told Simple Flying last month that it had responded to an incident with an inbound aircraft AKL. It deployed 14 units, including seven ambulances, two operation managers, two Major Incident Support Team vehicles, one Command Unit, and two rapid response vehicles.
The preliminary report by Chili’s aviation authority DGAC confirms that the weather conditions did not cause the sudden drop. It confirmed that the plane was traveling at 41,000 feet at the time of the incident and, more crucially, the left seat in the cockpit with the captain sitting on it moved forward involuntarily.
Related
Mega Merger: Brazilian Government Considers Combining LATAM, GOL, & Azul Into A Single Carrier
If completed, the merger could drastically change the face of South American aviation.
The Wall Street Journal even cites sources that say that a flight attendant hit a switch on the pilot’s seat during meal service in the cockpit. This led to the seat moving forward and pushing the pilot into the controls, eventually putting the plane in the nose-down position. We will have to wait for the final report to officially know the cause of the accident.
Photo: Philip Pilosian | Shutterstock
Boeing’s previous advisory
In 2017, Boeing sent a message to operators of all 787 variants, highlighting an issue with the switch cap of the pilots’ seat in the cockpit and asking airlines to apply adhesive to it. Last month, the plane maker released another message, referencing its previous advisory. It stated,
“Boeing and Flight Deck seat supplier, Ipeco, advise the 787 fleet of a known condition related to a loose/detached rocker switch cap on the fore/aft auxiliary rocker switch. This rocker switch is located on the seat back of both Captain and First Officer seats. Closing the spring-loaded seat back switch guard onto a loose/detached rocker switch cap can potentially jam the rocker switch, resulting in unintended seat movement.”
About the aircraft
The aircraft involved in the incident is a Boeing 787-9, registered CC-BGG, and was delivered to LATAM on December 16, 2015. Per ch-aviation, it has accumulated more than 23,500 flight hours across more than 3,500 flight cycles as of December 31, 2023.
Photo: Karol Ciesluk | Shutterstock
The carrier operates 36 Dreamliners split between 26 787–9 variants and 10 787–8 variants. LATAM has ordered five more Dreamliners, which will be powered by General Electric engines, as opposed to its current 787 fleet, which is fitted with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.
What are your views on this? Please leave a comment below.
