LATAM Airlines reported that a ‘technical event occurred during the flight, which caused a large movement’
Witnesses say that at least 50 people were hurt Monday when a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, “dipped into a nosedive for a few seconds” on a flight from New Zealand. This caused passengers to slam against the ceiling of the cabin.
LATAM Airlines reports that the plane traveling from Sydney, Australia experienced “a technical incident during the flight, which caused a large movement.” When flight LA800 landed in Auckland, more than 10 ambulances and paramedics were ready to receive passengers.
According to the New Zealand Herald, Daniel, a passenger aboard the plane, said, “The plane dived so dramatically for a few seconds, and about 30 people were hit hard by the ceiling.”
He added, “None knew what happened until the flight was over. I just tried to keep everyone calm.” “We never heard an announcement from the Captain.”
Officials described the incident as a technical event that occurred on a Boeing flight traveling from Sydney, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand.
According to the newspaper, the incident occurred with an hour or so left on the flight.
Brian Jokat, a passenger on the flight, told RNZ that he had been dozing off when the plane suddenly dropped. “I was lucky to have my seatbelt in place. It wasn’t like when you get a little turbulence, and then you fall a few times. We just fell.
Jokat stated that a passenger sitting two seats from him was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.
“I thought I had dreamed. When I opened my eyelids, he was standing on the plane’s roof on his back and looking down at me. He said, “It was like The Exorcist.”
Jokat told RNZ as well that the incident happened in seconds.
He said, “I felt the nosedive of the plane. It felt like I was on the top of a rolling coaster. Then it flattened again.” He noted that the people aboard and the crew attended to the injured passengers until the plane touched down.
In March 2019, a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner was spotted in Santiago, Chile.
An ambulance spokesperson told Associated Press that about 50 people received treatment at the scene, mostly for minor injuries. Thirteen of these patients were then transported to a local hospital. A patient on the plane was reported to be in a serious condition.
According to Reuters, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was flying from Auckland Airport, Chile in its final destination. However, it was landing there according to its normal flight path. According to RNZ, the flight to Santiago, scheduled for Monday, has been canceled. It will now be rescheduled to Tuesday. The airline is providing food and accommodations to those affected.
The airline stated that “LATAM regrets any inconvenience or injury caused to its passengers by this situation and reiterates their commitment to safety within the frameworks of their operational standards.”
Jokat told RNZ that the pilot of this plane went to the rear of the cabin when it landed in Auckland.
Ambulances leaving the airport – A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner landed in Auckland Airport which was typical of its flight path but ultimately headed to Santiago, Chile.
Jokat said, “I asked him what happened and he told me that he lost his instrumentation for a short time and then suddenly it came back.”
This is the latest incident involving a Boeing aircraft.
A door plug blew out of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, in January. This caused the cabin to become depressurized and forced it to land on an emergency runway in Portland, Oregon. According to reports, the Justice Department is investigating that incident.
A United Airlines Boeing 777 200 departing San Francisco last week lost a wheel while taking off. The tire fell, damaging parked cars in the airport.
Federal Aviation Administration reported that a Boeing 737 skidded from the runway the next day after landing in Houston. The National Transportation Safety Board also investigates an incident that occurred in February, when a Boeing 737 Max 8 operated in New Jersey by United Airlines had “stuck” rudder pedals while landing at Newark Liberty International Airport.
