A terrifying plunge on a Latam Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight earlier this week might have been caused by a mistake made in the cockpit, and not any flaw in the Boeing jet, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The Journal report, which cites unnamed US industry officials briefed on preliminary evidence from an investigation of the incident, said that a flight attendant may have mistakenly hit a switch on the pilot’s seat while serving a meal, leading a motorized feature to push the pilot into the controls and push down the plane’s nose. The pilot eventually recovered control and landed the plane safely.
Dozens of passengers were injured when the plane plunged, as some were thrown to the ceiling of the cabin. One passenger told the media that a pilot had told him he had lost control of the plane when “my gauges just kind of went blank on me.” That comment suggested a new safety issue for Boeing, which as been struggling with years of safety and quality issues around its commercial jets.
CNN has yet to be able to confirm the Journal’s report. Boeing did not comment on the report.
Latam on Monday said the plane “had a technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement,” adding it had landed as scheduled in Auckland. Asked about indications the problem with the flight was a cockpit mishap, the airline told the Journal the company is working with authorities on the investigation, but declined to comment further until the investigation is finished.
Latam’s pilots union declined to comment. The company’s flight-attendant union didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a statement to CNN Tuesday, Boeing said it was “working to gather more information about the flight and will provide any support needed by our customer.” It told the Journal: “We are in contact with our customer, and Boeing stands ready to support investigation-related activities as requested.”
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
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