The terrifying nosedive of a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787 flight that left at least 50 people injured may have been caused by a flight attendant accidentally flicking a switch in the cockpit, according to a report Friday.
The clumsy crew member appears to have inadvertently hit the switch on the pilot’s seat while serving a mid-flight meal, US aviation industry officials briefed on preliminary evidence from the investigation told the Wall Street Journal.
That pushed the pilot into the controls — thrusting down the nose of the plane, leaving many of the 200 passengers flying into the ceiling and fearing the jet was dropping out of the sky, the report said.
The flipped seat switch explanation appears to echo reporting by the aviation industry publication the Air Current, which cited a senior airline safety official as saying that the movement of a seat on the flight deck caused “the nose down” angel for the plane.
The pilot ultimately recovered control of the plummeting aircraft and landed it safely in New Zealand.
Latam, a Chile-based airline, only said the Dreamliner suffered a “technical event during the flight which caused strong movement.”
A spokesperson did not comment to the WSJ on its report but said it was working with authorities on the investigation. Latam’s pilots’ union declined to comment. The company’s flight-attendant union didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment, the WSJ said.