Boeing has issued a safety notice to advise airlines to check the pilot seat switches on its 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The move comes after the terrifying LATAM Airlines flight incident, during which approximately 50 passengers and crew members were injured owing to the plane’s erratic drop. The aerospace manufacturing giant termed the advisory a “precautionary measure, recommending that the inspections be integrated into scheduled maintenance of the jet.”
United Airlines, and American Airlines operate the largest fleets of the Dreamliner today, with 71 and 59 aircraft, respectively. The incident that led to this advisory involved a 787 diving suddenly and unintentionally because of an unusual event in the cockpit. According to the Wall Street Journal, in an article that cited anonymous U.S. industry officials familiar with the preliminary investigation, a flight attendant serving a meal in the cockpit hit a switch on the back of the seat, which forced the pilot forward and inadvertently made contact with the aircraft’s controls, promoting the abrupt maneuver.
Following the accident, Chile’s aviation authority sent out a group of investigators to New Zealand to lead the investigation into the LATAM Airlines incident. To this date, no official declaration or findings have been made public while investigations are underway.
This incident has brought into question the safety and design of the cockpit controls and seat adjustments in modern airliners and has emphasized strict checks and balances in aircraft operation and maintenance routines. Boeing had issued an advisory to prevent any recurrence of such events by ensuring that all its 787 Dreamliners have their seat switches inspected for flight operations safety.