Boeing asks airlines to check pilot seat switch after reported mishap led to LATAM plane plunge
‘Precautionary measure’
In a statement on Friday, Boeing asked airlines to inspect its motorised cockpit seats the next time they conduct maintenance work on their 787s and also included instructions to disable motors that move the pilot seats.
WATCH | At least 50 injured on LATAM flight after sudden drop
“The investigation of Flight LA800 is ongoing and we defer to the investigation authorities on any potential findings,” said a statement by the United States-based planemaker.
Notably, while Boeing often sends recommendations about its planes to its clients, the recent memo comes after the incident on the LATAM-operated flight.
“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,” said Boeing.
It added, “We are recommending operators perform an inspection at the next maintenance opportunity.”
LATAM flight incident
The LATAM airline Flight 800, on Monday (Mar 11) was flying from Sydney, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand when it suddenly plunged mid-air, tossing passengers, who were not wearing seatbelts, into the cabin ceiling and aisles.
The terrifying drop left at least 50 people injured, out of which 13 were hospitalised. However, the plane did not make an emergency landing and arrived at Auckland Airport as scheduled.
Pilot-seat error focus of Investigation in LATAM flight’s mid-air plunge: Report
The memo by Boeing also came a day after a report by the Wall Street Journal, on Thursday (Mar 14) said that a flight attendant serving a meal in the cockpit hit a switch on the back of a seat which caused a motorised feature to push the pilot into controls and led the plane to nose-dive.
The report cited anonymous US industry officials who had been briefed on preliminary findings from the investigation.
The WSJ report also said that the US-based planemaker asked the airlines to make sure that the switch which reportedly caused the mishap was securely covered and included instructions on how to turn off the power to the seat motor that is not meant to be used when the pilot is in the seat.
Both Boeing and LATAM have refused to comment citing the ongoing investigation.
Boeing under scrutiny
The company had already been under intense scrutiny since a near-catastrophic incident where a panel from its 737 Max aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines blew out over the US state of Oregon in January.
United Airlines Boeing 737, filled with 139 passengers, loses external panel mid-air
United Airlines, on Friday, said one of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft lost its external panel mid-air on Friday (Mar 15). The loss was only discovered after the flight had safely landed at an airport in Oregon.