A stewardess pushed the pilot: The theory behind the shake-up that unleashed panic on Ladham flight in New Zealand

The Civil Aviation Authority continues to investigate the cause of the crash of LA800 of the Chilean-Brazilian airline Latam, which was traveling from Sydney, Australia to Santiago de Chile last Monday. Experts from New Zealand. Theories behind the shakeup, which hospitalized 13 people, vary from technical problems to accidental human failure. Published article The Wall Street Journal leaning towards the latter possibility.

US media have cited sources familiar with the investigation into a possible explanation for the crash of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. According to this version, a flight attendant went to the cockpit to serve food, at which point she activated a switch that pushed the plane's captain's seat toward the controls. The pilot was sitting cross-legged, which created a movement that changed the position of the control stick, causing the plane to sink for a few seconds.

A video circulating on social media shows how the pilot's seat on a Boeing 787 aircraft works. Experts consulted. The Wall Street Journal They explained that this button must be pressed when someone is in the seat and it is sealed by the cover.

Actuation of the mechanism by the flight attendant is one of the possible explanations behind the sudden movement of the plane. The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission has yet to issue an official preliminary report on the investigation into the case, which involved the participation of two experts. Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC), the government agency responsible for overseeing air travel in Chilean territory. Last Tuesday, black boxes were recovered from the plane, which contained a cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder.

The incident occurred shortly before the flight arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, during one of its scheduled stops. People on board said that the unexpected descent caused several people to get out of their seats and hit the roof. Chilean Veronica Martínez, one of the passengers returning to Santiago on one of the scheduled flights on Tuesday, said inside the plane felt like a roller coaster without any turbulence. “People not wearing seat belts, coming out of the bathroom, the same maids who were walking. What impressed me the most was that behind me was a girl with a baby and I saw the baby fly away. It's terrible,” he said from a press vantage point at Santiago airport.

According to health workers at St. John's Hospital in New Zealand, emergency crews examined fifty passengers at the airport. Of them, 13 — 10 passengers and three crew members — were sent to hospital for a check-up. The most seriously affected were four Australian citizens; Two Brazilians; Two New Zealand players; A Frenchman and a Chilean. The airline said most of the injured have been discharged and only one passenger and one crew member suffered injuries that required additional care but were not life-threatening.

The plane involved in the incident was manufactured by US company Boeing, which is facing a delicate crisis due to repeated accidents involving its equipment. A report released in late February by US regulators called into question the “security culture” of multinational companies.

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