– Latam Airlines Boeing 787 carrying 263 passengers plummeted midair, injuring 50
– Preliminary evidence suggests flight attendant may have hit pilot’s seat switch, causing sudden drop
– Royal Air Force Airbus A330 plummeted due to captain’s DSLR camera disconnecting autopilot in cockpit@FindByline:DataReader
On Monday, a Latam Airlines Boeing 787 experienced a sudden drop midair on a flight from Sydney to Auckland, injuring at least 50 people. Initial reports suggested a technical issue with the aircraft, but new evidence points to a flight attendant accidentally activating a switch on the pilot’s seat in the cockpit, causing the plane to nose dive. This incident is reminiscent of a similar event in 2014 involving a Royal Air Force Airbus A330 that was brought down by a pilot’s seat mishap, highlighting the potential dangers of such incidents in flight.
During the 2014 event, the RAF Airbus A330 plummeted due to the captain’s camera being placed next to the side-stick control, leading to the disconnection of the autopilot and a subsequent nosedive. However, the plane’s advanced automation system was able to recover the aircraft and prevent a catastrophic crash, much like what potentially occurred with the Latam Airlines Boeing 787.
Following the events with the Royal Air Force aircraft, recommendations were made to address issues related to loose objects in the cockpit and pilot seat design. Boeing, the manufacturer of the 787, has issued a memo to operators advising them to check for loose covers over switches and perform maintenance inspections to prevent similar incidents. If human error is determined to be the cause of the Latam Airlines incident, it would alleviate concerns about potential technical faults with Boeing aircraft.