Boeing has issued a notice to airlines using its 787 Dreamliners, urging pilots to inspect their seats following an incident on a Latam Airlines flight, which is still under investigation.
This advisory was prompted by an event earlier this week where a 787 aircraft experienced a sudden drop, injuring 50 passengers on board a flight operated by LATAM Airlines from Sydney to Auckland.
According to The Wall Street Journal the incident occurred when a flight attendant inadvertently activated a switch on the pilot’s seat, causing the pilot to be pushed forward into the flight controls, which led to the aircraft’s nose dipping.
The dramatic descent resulted in passengers being propelled against the aircraft’s ceiling, as recounted by passenger Brian Jokat to the BBC. He described severe head injuries among passengers and noted that the impact was so forceful it damaged some of the ceiling panels.
Authorities later reported that one individual was seriously injured.
Boeing has responded by highlighting that while the investigation into Flight LA800 continues, it has reminded airlines of a 2017 service bulletin. This bulletin contains guidance on inspecting and maintaining the flight deck seat switches and advises airlines to inspect these switches during the next scheduled maintenance.
Following the incident, the subsequent flight segment from Auckland to Santiago was postponed, with a replacement flight arranged for the following Tuesday.
This event is among several recent issues involving Boeing aircraft, including a case in January where a door panel detached due to missing bolts, and the death of a former Boeing whistleblower John Barnett found dead last week.
Image credit: Moritz Mentges
Note- Parody Ahead
RUN AWAY ELECTRIC SEAT PROCEDURES
1. INITIAL ACTION: Determine which seat is running away. During the stress of routine operations it is possible to mistake which seat is running away. Example: If Captain’s seat is out of control forward, it shall appear to the Captain that the First Officer’s is running backwards. This is a common form of spatial disorientation and will only last until the Captain is emasculated on the control column. Do not disengage the autopilot at this time as a violent pitch down will result. In order to determine which seat is the run away, suggested procedure is to awaken the Flight Engineer for troubleshooting.
2. SILENCE THE AURAL WARNINGS: With the advent of a run away seat, crew members describe noises of a low rumbling nature followed by the words, “Jesus, my seat is out of control” followed by a piercing scream of increasing intensity and pitch, especially in cases of a forward run away. As in all emergencies and in order to comply with FAA standardization, the First Officer will silence the aural warning by clamping a hand over the Captain’s mouth and advise, “Captain’s mouth SHUT, SHUT”. From this point on refer to the checklist, located on the underside of the Captain’s seat cushion.
3. JAMMED BALLS: Should the seat run away in the forward mode, the ball bearings will interlock and jam the seat when it is 4 inches from control panel. The seat will then be stuck in the forward position and travel no further forward but begin traveling up in a vertical mode. The Captain. will advise the crew, “I have jammed balls”. The Flight Engineer will immediately refer to the CAPTAIN JAMMED BALLS Checklist located in the aft lavatory. It is imperative that the crew check for control column damage at this time. If the control column is broken. the crew will advise dispatch that the Captain. has a broken stick and jammed balls.
4. CIRCUIT BREAKER – PULL: The Flight Engineer at this time will pull the appropriate C/B to prevent the seat from running up further in the vertical mode which could cause the bearings to overheat and possibly result in a Ball Burst. This would necessitate the use of the BROKEN BALLS Check List. Since the Flight Engineer can rarely find the correct C/B it is suggested that any C/B be picked at random and pulled so as not to delay completion of the Check List. Example: Pull V.G #1. Captain’s position will prevent him from cross checking this step.
5. FIRE CHECK : When the seat bearings jam and stop the forward seat travel, the electric motor may short out and start a fire under the Captains seat, resulting in a Captain’s lower aft body overheating. The Flight Engineer will advise the Capt. of the fire, to which the Capt will reply, “Fire my Ass”.
6. SEAT UP- UP: Should the seat continue to run away in the vertical mode, the First Officer will advise “Seat UP, UP” to which the Captain will reply “Molxjrmne craxmby”. Captain’s reply will vary with height to which his seat has risen. It is suggested procedure to place a pillow on the Captain’s head, and land at the nearest suitable airport.
How ridiculous is that?
I suppose they had to think of something
Boeing has got massive problems as outlined by John Barnett before his untimely apparent ‘suicide’
Problems don’t go away
But will manifest themselves and transpire into fatalities
The stakes are high
In the meantime fly the friendly skies
Even if it is being splattered against the ceiling
Alex Jones had a piece on this situation, and the ‘culture’ that is encouraging criminal sloppiness and the minimalist cognitive work ethic that has severely diminished at many aircraft manufacturers.
Most of the narcissistic psychopaths employed at the likes of Boeing, McDonnell-Douglas, a few of the engine manufacturers are hopelessly underpaid,overworked, bullied, and cope with the terrible work environment by getting high or taking both prescription and non-prescription medications to dampen the effects of the workplace.
Many of these manufacturers hire work visa applicants or, as seen in other places, illegal migrants. They are only trained in one task, and in the case of aircraft overhaul / rebuild facilities, they have no formal training in Airframe and Powerplant / Aircraft Engineering. What happens here is that 10 of these untrained and unqualified people work under the supervision of an A & P Mechanic, who bears the responsibility for their f@#k-ups and, in some cases, sabotage!
I witnessed such a dicotomy when my crew & I went to pick-up a Hercules at an IRAN Facility (Inspect, Repair As Necessary). The place looked like a junk-yard of abandoned aircraft with weeds growing-up thru soon-to-be-used fuselages, wings, and tail assemblies. Other secondary parts were on shabby storage racks exposed to the weather. The Operations Hut was equally disheveled and incompetent, with people confused on what they were supposed to be doing…!
The FAA knows about these facilities, and yet will not shut them down.
But the Executive Head of the FAA’s Aircraft Maintenance Division didn’t seem to have time to deal with reported deficiencies in the field, but certainly went about targeting the A&P Schools for shut-downs based on small technicalities in grammar, despite the fact that the students had ALL passed the FAA Airframe & Powerplant written, oral and practical exams.
That particular FAA Executive Branch Inspector then cancelled the A&P Certificates of those already in employment, and demanded that they go back and get ‘more training’ on a small oversight that could have been corrected in the course curriculum, or within :30 minutes while on the job!
Instead, several hundred men & women found that they were barred from their certification, were forced to leave their livelihoods, and many never went back to the trade. Tuition money lost…!
Students and graduates spent thousands of dollars on their A & P Courses, only to have the same nullified by the one single psychopath in the FAA. But-
This was nothing new, as the same FAA Head of Aircraft Maintenance was once employed by the Air National Guard and the USAF Reserve, where he snitched on 2 reserve pilots who went overdue for their annual simulator training, and hence he called the ‘numbered Air Force HQ’and had the entire Squadron grounded!
Such an act removed a mission ready squadron from deterrence. Any other description for doing this would be called treason and subversion!
The person involved was a former union steward on the assembly line of GM, and flew for a former CIA Airline that couldn’t wait to be rid of him!
But this is what we have today; the FAA employs sociopathic psychopaths, and the manufacturers and airlines employ narcissists that are truly óut for themselves’, and the end result being incidents and accidents that could have been prevented!
At least here in New Zealand, the CAA has had a staffing and cultural overhaul, getting rid of career office bureaucrats and replacing them with pilots, aircraft owners, and former aviation consultants. Violations and citations are down, but I would still say this; GET THE GO-PRO CAMERAS OUT OF THE COCKPIT!