According to aviation industry publication Air Current on March 14, a technical problem related to the pilot’s seat is the main focus of the investigation into the loss of altitude of a Boeing 787 aircraft of Chilean airline LATAM Airlines. suddenly high in mid-air, injuring dozens of people.
The Boeing 787 above was carrying 263 passengers and 9 crew members while traveling from Sydney (Australia) to Auckland (New Zealand) when it suddenly lost altitude. The incident caused some passengers to be thrown out of their seats and hit the cabin, causing injuries to 50 people. Chilean authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the incident and coordinated with New Zealand during the investigation process.
Air Current cited a senior aviation safety official as saying that the sudden movement of the pilot’s seat was a key part of the investigation. Based on the information collected, the pilot’s seat may have a technical problem, causing the plane’s nose to tilt down. In addition, investigators are also considering the possibility of an electrical short circuit leading to the above incident.
According to Air Current, US aircraft manufacturer Boeing is expected to send a notice about the incident to Boeing 787 operators.
Currently, Boeing and LATAM have not commented on the above information. However, before that, this airline affirmed that it would fully cooperate with investigation authorities.
On March 13, the New Zealand Traffic Accident Investigation Committee said it had seized the cockpit voice recorder and black box (in-flight data storage device). These devices will provide information about conversations between pilots and aircraft movements.