Top plane manufacturer tells airlines to check cockpit seats after mid-flight dive: Report

Top jet manufacturer Boeing sent a memo to operators of the company’s 787 Dreamliner jets Thursday night recommending that they inspect plane cockpit seats following a mid-flight plunge, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The memo instructed operators of the jet to inspect switches around the cockpit chair for loose covers and gave instructions on how to turn off power to the pilot seat motor, according to the WSJ. A Latam Airlines flight from Sydney to Auckland experienced a “technical event” on Monday where 50 people were injured after it is suspected a flight attendant accidentally hit a switch on the pilot’s seat, which led to the pilot being pushed into the controls due to a motorized feature.

“Closing the spring-loaded seat back switch guard onto a loose/detached rocker switch cap can potentially jam the rocker switch, resulting in unintended seat movement,” the memo reads, according to the WSJ. The memo noted that the issue with the cockpit has been known and that Boeing issued a service notice in 2017 in a related matter.

The incident on Latam Airlines is still under investigation, but the cockpit seat movement remains the focus, according to the WSJ. Boeing previously said that it is ready to support investigation-related activities as requested.

Boeing planes have faced strict scrutiny in recent months after Alaska Airlines had an in-flight incident where an emergency door plug was ripped off the aircraft, causing several injuries and an emergency landing in early January. The National Transportation Safety Board released a report in February that found that the flight took off without bolts installed on the door plug.

$BA‘s problems didn’t start recently. They started when the stock reversed at the double resistance. #boeing pic.twitter.com/o1ENUUAFtQ

— Burak (@Tradingchannels) March 12, 2024

The Federal Aviation Administration released another report in late February that was mandated by Congress in response to two Boeing 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 that resulted in the deaths of 346 people on board. The report found that Boeing’s operations could inhibit proper safety compliance due to a disconnect among employees about safety culture and fears of retaliation.

A longtime Boeing employee, John Barnett, was found dead in his truck on Saturday due to what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, just days after testifying in court about apparent safety issues.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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