Boeing and regulators are investigating the incident on LATAM flight 800 flying between Sydney and Auckland where it appears that a flight attendant accidentally hit a switch on the pilot’s seat while serving their meal. The switch powers the pilot's seat movement and on this occasion pushed him into the controls of the jet leading to a devastating plunge which caused more than 50 people to be injured.
This incident has forced Boeing to warn airlines they should check the crew seats in the cockpits of 787 aircraft for loose covers on switches. The seats are supposed to have a spring-loaded seat back switch guard which may jam or become loose and activate the rocker switch, resulting in seat movement.
Boeing said today that it was taking the precautionary measure of alerting customer airlines of the issue and reminding them of a 2017 service bulletin which has details of how to inspect and maintain the flight deck seat switches. "We are recommending operators perform an inspection at the next maintenance opportunity," Boeing said.
