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The FAA has ordered immediate inspections of Boeing 787 Dreamliners following a March incident where a midair dive caused injuries to dozens of passengers.
Let’s bring you up to speed: Back in March, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by LATAM abruptly dropped 400 feet during its flight from Sydney to Auckland, injuring dozens of passengers. The sudden descent was caused by the captain’s seat moving involuntarily, which disconnected the autopilot and led to the loss of altitude. This issue was traced to defects in the seat’s rocker switch caps and switch cover assemblies.
What’s happening today: Following the March incident with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the FAA issued an airworthiness directive requiring airlines to inspect the captain’s and first officer’s seats on specific 787 models (787-8, 787-9, and 787-10) for missing or cracked rocker switch caps and faulty switch cover assemblies within 30 days. This directive impacts 158 US-registered aircraft.
What Boeing said: In a brief statement, Boeing said, “We fully support the FAA’s Airworthiness Directive which makes mandatory a supplier’s guidance to 787 operators.”