US regulators announced on Monday that they have mandated inspections of pilot seats on hundreds of Boeing 787 aircraft following a March incident in which the plane’s sudden plunge led to passenger injuries.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued the directive after receiving reports of “uncommanded movement” of the captain’s seat, which caused a rapid descent during a flight. The airworthiness directive requires operators to inspect 158 US-registered 787 Dreamliners and 737 planes worldwide and undertake any necessary corrective actions.
The directive follows a March incident involving a LATAM Airlines flight from Sydney to Auckland, where the plane unexpectedly lurched downward, injuring about 50 passengers. Since then, the FAA has learned of four additional cases of “uncommanded horizontal movement” affecting the captain and first officer’s seats. Three of these cases were linked to “loose” switch caps, while the remaining two are still under investigation.
The FAA warned that unintended movement of the seats could lead to in-flight disturbances and abrupt flight control inputs, potentially causing rapid descents and posing serious risks to passengers and crew. Boeing has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the inspections.
