Sydney-Auckland flight drops altitude due to ‘technical glitch,’ 50 passengers injured

Chilean airline LATAM confirms that Boeing 787 experienced a technical problem, leading to turbulence, say reports

At least 50 people onboard a LATAM Boeing 787 flight en route to Auckland from Sydney were injured after the plane dropped sudden altitude caused by a ‘technical problem,’ The New Zealand Herald reported.

The flight took off from Australia and planned a stopover at Auckland before heading to Santiago, Chile.

Following the incident, 10 emergency vehicles were dispatched by St John Ambulance to the scene. 

Passengers told local media that the plane quickly lost altitude, flinging those without seatbelts toward the ceiling.

A passenger told radio network RNZ that “people flew through the air because they weren’t wearing their seatbelts.”

“Some people got pretty injured. People were terrified as well” the man said, his voice shaking.

A spokesperson for the Chile-based airline said “a technical event during the flight,” had “caused a strong movement.”

The airline said LATAM “deeply regrets any inconvenience and discomfort this situation may have caused.”

The plane landed at Auckland Airport as scheduled. 

LATAM said the plane involved was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

U.S. plane-maker Boeing has suffered several safety issues in recent years, including fatal Lion Air and Ethiopian Airline crashes on 737 MAX planes.

In January, Boeing was still reeling from a near-catastrophic incident when a fuselage panel on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 Alaska Airlines jet blew off mid-flight.

Source: Newsroom & AFP