Anyone whose seat belt was not fastened was thrown to the ceiling.
On Monday, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by the Chilean company Latam between Sydney and Auckland violently lost altitude in mid-flight after a “technical incident” according to the company, injuring numerous passengers.
Civil aviation supervisory authorities announced on Tuesday the opening of an investigation.
The Chilean Civil Aviation Authority said New Zealand investigators would lead the investigation into the incident, with assistance from Chile.
Latam Airlines assured that it was working “in coordination with the competent authorities” to shed light on this incident.
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After landing in Auckland, around 50 passengers required treatment and a dozen were taken to hospital.
Four people were still hospitalized Tuesday morning, health authorities told AFP.
“Only one passenger and one crew member suffered injuries which required additional treatment but their life-threatening prognosis is not engaged,” the company said.
The passengers will be transferred to Santiago, Chile, their final destination, “aboard a new flight on March 12,” said the company, which “reaffirmed its commitment to safety.”
“He was on the ceiling, on his back, looking at me”
Data from FlightAware, an airline tracking tool, shows the plane lost altitude about two hours after takeoff.
The investigation will have to determine “whether it was an atmospheric event or a technical problem with the plane,” Joe Hattley, air accident safety investigator, told AFP.
“Flight recordings will be essential,” he said.
The Chilean company indicated on Monday that the plane “suffered a technical incident during the trip which caused a strong movement”, without giving further details.
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“These types of incidents highlight the absolute need for passengers to keep their seat belts fastened,” recalls Joe Hattley.
One of the passengers told public radio station Radio New Zealand that he saw a man thrown to the ceiling fall heavily and hit his ribs on an armrest: “He was on the ceiling, on his back, looking at me.
It was like in (the movie)
The Exorcist.
» According to him, the pilot went to the passengers after landing.
“I asked him what happened and he said:
I lost my instruments briefly and they suddenly came back
.”
Proof that the turbulence was violent, “the people thrown towards the ceiling damaged the wall”, according to a passenger to AFP.
“The guy behind me was in the toilet when it happened, poor guy.
He told me he went through the ceiling,” he said.
Serial malfunctions for Boeing
“We are working to gather more information about the flight and will provide all necessary support to our customer,” Boeing said in a statement.
This incident occurs after a series of malfunctions on devices from the American manufacturer.
Last week, a Boeing 777 had to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff from San Francisco after a wheel came off before hitting cars in an airport parking lot.
At the beginning of January, a door on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 came loose a few minutes after takeoff, causing a few minor injuries.
VIDEO.
Alaska Airlines plane's door detaches mid-flight
The 737 MAXs were grounded for almost two years after the crashes at the end of 2018 of the Indonesian company Lion Air and at the beginning of 2019 of the Ethiopian company Ethiopian Airlines, resulting in more than 350 deaths.
In both cases, a problem with new software was the cause of the crashes.
Earlier this month, US aviation regulators gave Boeing 90 days to present a plan to address quality control issues, with the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) urging the company to “commit to making real and profound improvements”.