The Federal Aviation Administration will require inspections of hundreds of Boeing 787 Dreamliners after a LATAM Airlines plane in March took a sudden midair plunge that injured at least 50 people.
According to an FAA statement, the plane dove after a seat in the cockpit jolted forward and disconnected the autopilot system, causing a rapid descent. Since the March incident, the FAA received four additional reports of similar issues, with the latest occurring in June.
The agency identified loose rocker switch caps on the back of cockpit seats as the cause in three of these incidents. The remaining two cases remain under investigation.
As a result, the FAA issued an airworthiness directive, citing the “unsafe condition” of these seats, and required the inspection of 158 U.S.-registered airplanes and 737 airplanes worldwide. These inspections must be completed within 30 days.
A Boeing spokesperson said in response that they “fully support” the directive.
This announcement adds to the continuing regulatory and public scrutiny of Boeing, particularly concerning its 787 Dreamliner.
In June, the company discovered hundreds of incorrectly installed fasteners on some undelivered jets. A month earlier, the FAA investigated whether Boeing had completed required inspections or falsified aircraft records. And the month before that, a whistleblower told NBC News that Boeing should halt Dreamliner production because of unresolved assembly flaws.
In response to the whistleblower’s claims, Boeing said it was “fully confident” in the Dreamliner.