Summary FAA mandates inspection of Boeing 787 cockpit seats, affecting 158 US planes and 737 worldwide. An issue related to the cockpit seat caused a sudden drop during a LATAM 787 flight earlier this year, injuring over 50 passengers. Despite recent problems, the Boeing 787 remains popular for fuel efficiency and modern tech, with hundreds in service globally.
The Federal Aviation Administration has mandated an inspection of all Boeing 787 aircraft worldwide for switches responsible for the movement of the pilots’ seats in the cockpit. This relates to the LATAM Dreamliner incident in which the aircraft faced a sudden drop after the captain’s seat inadvertently moved forward. New directive Boeing 787 Dreamliner operators around the world have been asked by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to inspect the seats of the captain and first officer on all three 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10 types for missing or cracked rocker switch caps or for cracked switch cover.
Airlines operating these planes have been asked to complete inspections within 30 days and perform any required corrective actions. According to Reuters , the directive affects 158 planes in the United States and 737 planes worldwide. The LATAM 787 incident The latest FAA order is in response to the LATAM Airlines incident in March this year in which a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, registered CC-BGG, faced a terrifying sudden drop at cruising altitude.
The plane was performing a 5th freedom flight between Sydney and Auc.