‘No defects’ on Boeing Dreamliners as seats become probe focus after NZ nosedive

Air New Zealand has carried out checks on pilot seats in Boeing 787 aircraft after they became the focus of an investigation into a Latam Airlines plane that “froze” in mid-air last week, injuring 50 people on a flight between Sydney and Auckland.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner reportedly dropped several hundred feet, sending passengers flying and leaving some with broken bones and head wounds after they hit the cabin roof.

Chile’s Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil is investigating the incident and the flight’s “black box” of data is in the possession of New Zealand’s aviation authority.

On Friday, Boeing released a message to all 787 operators advising them to “apply adhesives to the pilot seat movement switch caps to prevent them from coming loose”, New Zealand’s Stuff website reported.

The manufacturer said it took the precautionary measure of reminding operators of a 2017 service bulletin detailing instructions for inspecting and maintaining flight deck seat switches. “We are recommending operators perform an inspection at the next maintenance opportunity,” the company said.

The advice from the Charleston-based manufacturer came after airline industry officials told The Wall Street Journal that a preliminary investigation into the incident found that a flight attendant serving a meal in the cockpit hit a switch on the back of a seat that pushed the pilot into the controls on the 787, sending the plane downward.

Aviation publication The Air Current reported the incident on the Latam flight was thought to be “pilot induced, not intentionally”, according to a senior airline safety official.

“The seat movement caused the nose down” angle of the aircraft, the publication said. It also cited another anonymous source who said the possibility of an electrical short was under review.

Air New Zealand’s chief operational and safety officer Captain David Morgan said the inspection of its Boeing aircraft found no problems.

“Our inspection programme has so far found no defects on any of our aircraft,” he told Stuff.

“We have a rigorous aircraft maintenance schedule in place to ensure our all aircraft in our fleet are at the highest degree of safety. We work closely with aircraft and engine manufacturers to ensure we meet all engineering and maintenance requirements.”

Last week, some of the 263 passengers and nine crew on board the Latam airlines flight revealed how they were thrown from their seats into the ceiling of the cabin and aisles. Fifty passengers were treated by ambulance on arrival in Auckland, with 13 people taken to hospital.

Latam said it “continues to work in coordination with the authorities to support the investigation” but did not comment on what might have caused the issue.

Boeing has been under intense pressure lately after a series of incidents on board its planes leading to questions over safety procedures and quality control at the company.

Last week, the head of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said investigators still do not know who worked on a Boeing 737 Max 9 door plug that was involved in an Alaska Airlines emergency when it blew out in mid air in January.

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NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said in a letter to senators that investigators sought security camera footage when the door plug was opened and closed in September but were informed the material was overwritten.

“The absence of those records will complicate the NTSB’s investigation moving forward,” Ms Homendy said. “To date, we still do not know who performed the work to open, reinstall, and close the door plug on the accident aircraft.”

The NTSB said previously four key bolts were missing from the door plug that blew out on the plane.

Last week, Ms Homendy said she spoke to Boeing CEO David Calhoun “and asked for the names of the people who performed the work. He stated he was unable to provide that information and maintained that Boeing has no records of the work being performed.”

Boeing said it “will continue supporting this investigation in the transparent and proactive fashion we have supported all regulatory inquiries into this accident. We have worked hard to honor the rules about the release of investigative information.”

The US Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the midair emergency.

On Friday, Boeing said it believes required documents detailing the door plug removal were never created, adding its working hypothesis was “the documents required by our processes were not created when the door plug was opened.”

With Reuters