Brian Jokat, a passenger onboard a LATAM Airlines 787-9 that had a sudden loss of altitude on Monday, says the captain told him the “gauges went blank” and he was briefly unable to control the airliner. The airline had previously said in a statement there was “a technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement.” The plane, carrying 263 people, was heading to Auckland, New Zealand, from Sydney, Australia, when the incident occurred. CNN interviewed an American passenger on the plane who said the captain appeared shaken as he surveyed the aftermath of the violent maneuver. He said the captain told him the panel quickly came back on and the systems resumed normal operation.
The “sudden drop” sent a dozen people to a hospital in New Zealand after they were flung about the cabin. Many suffered head injuries when they struck the ceiling. About 35-to-40 others were treated at Auckland Airport by paramedics. The Dreamliner was cruising at 41,000 feet with about an hour left in the three-hour flight when the incident occurred. The plane left Sydney and was headed ultimately to Santiago with a planned stop in Auckland. The flight from Auckland to Santiago was canceled and rescheduled for Tuesday.
