A LATAM Boeing 787 plane was traveling from Sydney, Australia, to Auckland, New Zealand, before it took a sudden "nosedive" following what is believed to have been a technical problem that resulted in the injury of 50 passengers.
The airline said that the aircraft abruptly dropped mid-flight on Monday and a New Zealand health service organization later treated the injured individuals. The plane was said to have experienced a powerful shake that injured 10 passengers and three cabin crew members enough to send them to a hospital.
Boeing Plane Suddenly Drops Mid-Flight
The flight, which was carrying 263 passengers and nine crew members, landed at Auckland airport as scheduled on Monday afternoon. One individual was said to have been in a serious condition following the incident while the rest only suffered mild-to-moderate injuries.
Another passenger, identified as Brian Jokat, said that the plane just dropped, unlike any kind of minor turbulence that he had felt before. He added that passengers were quickly thrown out of their seats and hit the top of the cabin, while others were thrown down the aisles, according to Reuters.
Officials could not immediately determine the exact cause of the sudden change in the altitude of the LATAM 800 flight. Safety experts have said that the majority of airplane accidents are caused by a multiude of factors that need to be thoroughly investigated first.
Jokat, who was fortunate enough to not be injured during the incident, said that some of the roof panels of the plane were broken from people being thrown up and knocking through the plastic roof panels in the aisle ways. He noted that there was blood coming from several people's heads.
The passenger said that other people onboard the plane who were doctors provided bandages and neck braces for those who were severely injured. Following the incident, Boeing said that it was working to gather more information regarding what happened and would provide any support to the airline.
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Various Safety Concerns
LATAM Airlines issued a statement after the plane landed in Auckland, saying that the aircraft had a technical event during the flight that caused a strong movement. However, it did not elaborate on what particular technical event it was, said CNN.
A statement released by Chile's Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics said that they regret the situation that was experienced by the passengers. It added that they were reiterating their commitment to the safety of air operations.
Transport Accident Investigation Commission spokesperson Simon Pleasants said that the agency, which is New Zealand's equivalent to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), was already aware of the reported incident. It added that they are trying to gather more information to make a decision as to whether or not to open an inquiry.
The incident comes as Boeing has been facing a myriad of challenges stemming from various safety concerns on its aircraft. The company announced that is was would be overhauling how it pays employee bonuses in an attempt to emphasize quality and safety over meeting its financial targets.
The move is one of many that are being made to address quality issues after the door-plug blowout on an Alaska Air flight. It applies to Boeing's non-union workforce which numbers roughly 100,000 employees, managers, and executives, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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