Boeing has issued a directive to airlines to inspect all 787 cockpit seats following a recent incident reported by the Wall Street Journal. The incident involved a terrifying plunge during a flight from Sydney to New Zealand, resulting in passengers being thrown to the cabin ceiling and sustaining injuries. Investigators believe that a flight attendant inadvertently activated a switch on the cockpit seat while serving a meal to the pilot, causing the pilot's seat to move forward and potentially impacting the controls.
An analysis of the pilot's manual for the 787 reveals that the switch in question is described as a secondary horizontal power control located near the headrest of the seat. The switch is intended to facilitate seat movement for easier access when not seated. However, there are no explicit warnings or indications in the manual regarding the potential risks associated with using the switch.
Retired 787 pilot with extensive flying experience, Tom Stevens, shared insights on the functionality of the switch based on his firsthand experience. He emphasized that the switch is primarily used for adjusting the seat position for entry and exit and should not lead to sudden movements that could endanger the flight.
Stevens also highlighted that during his training, there was no specific briefing on the switch, and its existence was only pointed out when he first boarded the aircraft. He expressed surprise at the notion that activating the switch could result in a drastic nose dive, as his experience with the switch was limited to adjusting the seat position without any safety concerns.
Additionally, a passenger on the affected flight recounted a conversation with the pilot, who admitted to losing control of the plane when the gauges malfunctioned, leading to the sudden descent. Stevens found this revelation perplexing, as he had never encountered a similar power loss scenario during his extensive flying career.
The sequence of events surrounding the incident remains a subject of investigation and scrutiny within the aviation community, with experts like Stevens expressing skepticism about the switch's potential to cause such a dramatic outcome. The incident serves as a reminder of the complex interplay between human factors and technological systems in ensuring aviation safety.
