Air New Zealand has inspected the pilot’s seat on a Boeing 787 aircraft after it became the focus of an investigation into a LATAM aircraft that “frozen” in mid-air on a flight between Sydney and Auckland last week. , resulting in 50 injuries.

According to reports, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner fell hundreds of feet, causing passengers to be ejected and some suffering fractures and head injuries after hitting the cabin roof.

Chile’s General Civil Aviation Authority is investigating the incident and New Zealand aviation authorities have “black box” data from the flight.

On Friday, Boeing issued a message to all 787 operators advising them to “apply adhesive to the pilot seat movement switch covers to prevent them from loosening,” Air New Zealand said East West website reports.

The manufacturer said it has taken the precaution of reminding operators of a 2017 service bulletin that details instructions for inspecting and maintaining cockpit seat switches. “We recommend that operators perform inspections during their next maintenance,” the company said.

The Charleston-based manufacturer made the recommendation after being told by aviation industry officials wall street journal An initial investigation into the incident found that a flight attendant serving meals in the cockpit pressed a switch on the seat back, pushing the pilot toward the controls of the 787, causing the plane to plummet.

aviation publications airflow The incident on the LATAM flight was believed to be “pilot-induced and not intentional,” according to the airline’s top safety official.

“Seat movement caused the aircraft’s nose to point downward,” the publication said. It also cited another anonymous source as saying the possibility of an electrical short circuit was being reviewed.

Air New Zealand chief operations and safety officer Captain David Morgan said inspections of its Boeing planes found no issues.

“To date, our inspection program has not identified any deficiencies in any of our aircraft,” he told thing.

“We have a rigorous aircraft maintenance program in place to ensure that all aircraft in our fleet are in the highest possible safety condition. We work closely with aircraft and engine manufacturers to ensure that all engineering and maintenance requirements are met.”

Last week, some of the 263 passengers and nine crew members on board the Latam Air flight revealed how they were thrown from their seats onto the cabin ceiling and aisle. Fifty passengers were treated by ambulance on arrival in Auckland, with 13 taken to hospital.

Latam said it “will continue to coordinate with the authorities and support the investigation” but did not comment on what may have caused the problem.

Boeing has been under intense pressure following a recent series of accidents on its planes that have called into question the company’s safety procedures and quality controls.

Last week, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said investigators still don’t know who operated a door jam on a Boeing 737 Max 9 that was involved in an Alaska Airlines emergency that exploded in mid-air in January.

NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said in a letter to senators that investigators in September sought security camera footage of the door jam opening and closing but were told the material had been overwritten.

“The absence of these records will further complicate the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation,” Ms. Homendy said. “To date, we still do not know who performed the work of opening, reinstalling, and closing the door jams on the accident aircraft. “

The National Transportation Safety Board previously said four key bolts were missing from the door jam that exploded on the plane.

Last week, Ms. Homendy said she spoke to Boeing CEO David Calhoun “and asked for the name of the person who performed the work. He said he could not provide that information, insisting Boeing has no record of ongoing work.”

Boeing said it “will continue to support this investigation in a transparent and proactive manner, and we have supported all regulatory investigations into this accident. We have worked hard to comply with the rules regarding the release of investigative information.”

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the mid-air emergency.

On Friday, Boeing said it believed the documentation needed to detail the removal of the door jam was never created, adding that its working assumption was that “the documentation required for our process was not created while the door jam was open.”

with Reuters