FAA Mandates Boeing 787 Inspections Following Mid-Air Dive Incident

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has ordered inspections of Boeing 787 Dreamliners after a LATAM Airlines plane experienced a sudden dive, injuring over 50 passengers. These inspections will focus on the captain's and first officer's seats for defects. The directive affects 158 U.S. planes and 737 worldwide.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a directive on Monday mandating inspections of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. This follows a March incident where a LATAM Airlines plane made a sudden mid-air dive, injuring more than 50 passengers. The dive was attributed to an uncommanded movement of the captain's seat, causing auto-pilot disconnection.

The FAA's directive targets 158 U.S.-registered and 737 worldwide airplanes, requiring inspections of the captain's and first officer's seats on 787 models for missing or cracked rocker switch caps or cracked switch cover assemblies within 30 days. Corrective actions must be taken if issues are discovered.

The FAA warned that uncommanded horizontal seat movement can result in rapid descent and serious injuries. Boeing and LATAM Airlines have yet to comment. Separately, Boeing halted test flights on its 777-9 awaiting certification due to a component failure discovered during a maintenance check.

(With inputs from agencies.)