The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said it will require the inspection of Boeing 787 Dreamliners after a mid-air drop during a flight in March 2024 injured around 50 passengers.
The FAA received a report in March 2024 indicating that uncommanded movement of the captain’s seat in the forward direction had caused the autopilot to disconnect, resulting in a rapid descent until the first officer took control of the flight. Following the first incident, the FAA received four additional reports of similar issues, the most recent in June 2024.
An airworthiness directive (AD) issued by the FAA on August 19, 2024, requires airlines to closely examine the captain’s and first officers’ seats on 787-7, 787-9, and 787-10 aircraft for “missing or cracked rocker switch caps and for cracked or nonfunctional switch cover assemblies” within 30 days. The directive impacts 158 planes registered in the United States and 737 planes worldwide.
What happened to LATAM Flight LA800?
On March 11, 2024, LATAM Airlines flight LA800 operating from Sydney (SYD) to Santiago de Chile (SCL) via Auckland (AKL) in New Zealand, encountered a “sudden drop mid-air” with about an hour left of its flight time.
The flight, operated by a Boeing 787-9 registered CC-BGG, had been due to make a short technical stop in Auckland before continuing to Santiago de Chile (SCL), its final destination.
LATAM Airlines confirmed at the time that flight LA800 had a “technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement.” The incident resulted in around 50 passengers and crew sustaining injuries.
The aircraft continued to Auckland where it made a safe landing. All injured passengers were treated at the scene, while seven passengers and three cabin crew members were taken to Middlemore Hospital for medical checks.