At least 50 injured after “technical problem” on LATAM flight to New Zealand

Redacción - Aviación al Día

1 year ago

Some 50 people were injured, 12 of them hospitalized, after a “strong jolt” during a flight between Sydney (Australia) and Auckland (New Zealand) of LATAM Airlines due to a “technical failure” that caused the plane to dive suddenly, according to the company, passengers and New Zealand emergency services.

The injured, one with a serious condition and the rest with moderate and minor injuries, were treated by medical services after the aircraft, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, landed at the New Zealand city’s airport.

“Flight LA800, operating today on the Sydney-Auckland route, experienced a technical problem during the flight, which caused a strong jolt (…) As a result of the incident, some passengers and cabin crew were affected,” LATAM said in a brief statement.

While the South American airline did not provide details of the technical failure or when the incident occurred, a passenger told EFE of a “sudden drop” about 45 minutes before landing.

“I was falling asleep, sitting by the window in a row of three seats, and with the jolt I opened my eyes and saw my aisle mate on the roof of the plane, who was hurtling down… I thought I was dreaming,” said Brian Adam Jokat, a 61-year-old Canadian who was traveling to Auckland to meet friends.

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Jokat, who was wearing a seat belt and said he was “100% fine,” said that before the incident “there was no turbulence, nothing, no warning,” and that within “a few seconds the plane straightened up again,” leaving passengers lying on the ground with wounds, cuts and bleeding.

“At first there was screaming, then just silence,” notes Jokat, whose testimony coincides with what other passengers recounted to New Zealand media.

New Zealand’s Hato Hone St. John Emergency Service said in a statement that its staff assessed and treated a total of 50 people, of whom one is in “serious” condition, with no nationality yet disclosed, and the rest have “moderate” or “minor” injuries.

Of the total number of injured, 12 patients were transferred to an Auckland hospital, the St. John’s spokesman added.

According to the Flightradar website, the plane plunged about 100 meters when it had covered about two-thirds of its route, dropping suddenly from an altitude of 41,000 feet to about 40,692.

The aircraft, which after Auckland was scheduled to fly to Santiago de Chile, a flight that was suspended, landed in the New Zealand city at around 15:58 local time, “as planned,” said Latam.

The airline indicated that a new flight (LA1130) has been scheduled to cover that route on March 12, departing Auckland at 20.00 local time and that it has provided those affected with food and accommodation until then.

LATAM also emphasizes that it “deeply regrets any inconvenience and harm caused to passengers”, and reiterates its “commitment to safety”.