Breaking: LATAM 787-9 Suddenly Stops In Mid Air??
Intro
Reports have been circulating the internet today regarding a Latam Airlines flight that supposedly "stopped in mid-air". While details are relatively sparse at the moment, over 50 people seem to be injured after this "technical issue" as LATAM puts it.
What Exactly Happened?
A Latam 787-9 was operating its fifth freedom route from Sydney to Auckland yesterday which totals a distance of 1345 miles.
The plane in the reports was suggested to be an 8-year-old 787-9 with the registration code of CC-BGG.
Reports from the onboard passengers indicated that approximately 2/3 of the way into the flight, "the plane just dropped out of the sky". Even though the captain says to keep your seat belts fastened when you are in your seat for your safety, not everyone does. A couple of passengers were shocked up to the ceiling with blood splattered everywhere. The ceiling was badly damaged and once the plane had been stabilized, there were doctors onboard to attend to the wounded.
The plane continued on to Auckland, where a big emergency team was standing by. 1 person is said to be in critical condition and 10 others were taken to the hospital with mild-moderate injuries.
Upon deplaning, the captain headed to the back of the plane where he told a passenger, "My gauges just blanked out, I lost all of my ability to fly the plane" when asked about what happened.
My Thoughts
Firstly, I am happy that everyone on board is safe, although some have injuries. Secondly, I will be curious to see what really happened once this incident is investigated. Is this is an issue with the Boeing 787-9 or with Latam or both? If this is an issue with the Boeing 787-9, this is the last thing any airline would want as extensive checks might have to be performed. The only US airline that might prosper is Delta 😉. It's interesting to see that Boeing stock took a big drop after this incident; doesn't surprise me.
All in all, I am happy that everyone is safe and sending my best to the person in critical condition. I am curious to see the report of what happened.
Final Thoughts
Aircraft-related incidents are quite infrequent. However, yesterday an Auckland-bound Latam 787-9 had some bad luck as the plane felt like it dropped out of the sky. So far, there have been no casualties, but one passenger is in critical condition.
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