Fifty passengers were hurt Monday when a flight from Australia to New Zealand made a sudden movement in mid-air. –
The flight’s operator said the plane experienced a “technical event,” CNN Travel reported, noting other outlets said passengers were thrown out of their seats in the cabin.
Video footage reportedly taken inside the plane shows what appears to be a person laying in the aisle and a man sitting in a seat holding his hand over his eye:
🇳🇿✈️ New Zealand Boeing Flight
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) March 11, 2024
Emergency Services tended to over 50 people injured on this BOEING Flight.
Seriously what’s happening with Boeings, over the last several days, they’ve been involved in at least 5 airport/flight incidents - coincidence? pic.twitter.com/ocq2ZbQ4Oj
When the aircraft landed in Auckland, medical crews treated about 50 passengers for their injuries, the CNN report said. One individual was deemed to be in serious condition and 12 people were transported to a hospital for care.
LATAM Airlines said in a statement that “Flight LA800, operating the Sydney — Auckland route today, had a technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement,” but the airline did not give more detail about the technical event.
At least 50 people were reportedly injured when a LATAM Airlines flight from Sydney to Auckland experienced turbulence after a "technical event" in the air. The flight landed safely in New Zealand. https://t.co/DFf09vHUpM
— DW News (@dwnews) March 11, 2024
A passenger on board the flight said when the plane dropped in mid-air, people were thrown into the air, which resulted in the injuries. The individual also said some of the passengers were not wearing their seatbelts when the incident happened.
Another passenger recalled the terrifying ordeal, saying that “blood was on the ceiling, people [flew] and broke the ceiling of the plane.”
Meanwhile, 9 News Australia reported the plane was a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, adding that “Boeing has been under increased scrutiny in recent months right across the globe for issues with its planes”:
Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given Boeing leadership 90 days to formulate a plan that would fix quality issues and meet safety standards when the company builds planes, the news coming after the FAA met with Boeing officials to discuss what needed to be done, the Associated Press (AP) reported February 28.
“This week, a panel of industry, government and academic experts issued a report that found shortcomings in the safety culture at Boeing, which the company says it has been working to improve,” the article said.
