Fifty passengers have been injured on a LATAM 787 operating from Sydney to Auckland when the aircraft suffered a significant flight upset.
Of the 50, 13 were taken to hospital with one in a serious condition.
From Flightradar24 data it appears the 787 encountered two events - the worst just before the descent into Auckland when the aircraft's ground speed rose dramatically from 433kts to 604kts the aircraft's altitude dropped 25ft.
This is typically a wind shear event which is a sudden change in wind direction or movement however the fact that there were two events with sharp decreases and increases in speeds indicates a technical malfunction. (See yellow line above)
LATAM Airlines, a Chilean carrier, told Channel 9 that the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner had a technical problem which caused a "strong movement".
"As a result of the incident, some passengers and cabin crew were affected," the airline said in a statement.
"LATAM regrets the inconvenience and injury this situation may have caused its passengers, and reiterates its commitment to safety as a priority within the framework of its operational standards."
JOIN: AirlineRatings.com YouTube Channel
GET: Accurate MH370 Information From AirlineRatings.com Newsletter
READ: Why I used to hate Virgin BUT not anymore.
Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!
Airlineratings.com was developed to provide everyone in the world with a one-stop shop for everything related to airlines, formed by a team of aviation editors, who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world.
Our rating system is rated from one to seven stars on safety – with seven being the highest ranking. Within each airline, you will find the country of origin, airline code, booking URL and seat map information. The rating system takes into account a number of different factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies, lead associations as well as the airline’s own safety data. Every airline has a safety rating breakdown so you can see exactly how they rate.
Over 230 of the airlines on the site that carry 99 per cent of the world’s passengers have a product rating. Given that low-cost, regional and full-service carriers are so different we have constructed a different rating system for each which can be found within each airline
Have questions or want to share your thoughts?
