Why Boeing Pilot Seats Are Suspected of Being Dangerous ?

© Unsplash/Artturi Jalli

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner continues to be a real burden for the aircraft manufacturer American. Since its commercialization, the plane has encountered its share of malfunctions and other safety problems.

Today, the FAA has required a thorough inspection of the pilot seats of hundreds of Boeing 787s. In total, more than 700 aircraft are affected worldwide. The reason ? The pilot seats are said to be the cause of several incidents. Enough to raise doubts about the quality controls of the American aircraft manufacturer.

The origin of sudden losses of altitude in mid-flight ?

In March 2024, an incident on a Boeing 787 injured around fifty passengers on a flight of the Chilean airline Latam. Between Sydney (Australia) and Auckland (New Zealand), the Boeing 787 suddenly lost altitude. Dozens of passengers who had not fastened their seat belts were thus propelled to the ceiling.

Following this incident, a report was drawn up. Its origin is said to be in the pilot's seat of the Boeing 787. Indeed, the press release mentions an “uncontrolled forward movement of the captain's seat which led to a rapid descent”. Since March, other similar incidents have been noted, still on board Boeing 787s. Four “uncontrolled horizontal movements” of pilot seats or co-pilots were thus brought to light. As the FAA explains, the adjustment levers on the seat were too “loose” in three out of four cases. Except that such an unexpected movement may cause the “unintentional and abrupt manipulation of the flight controls, which could cause the aircraft to rapidly descend and seriously injure passengers and flight personnel”.

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© Unsplash/Arkin Si

It is for all these reasons that the FAA has sounded the alarm. The regulator intends to thoroughly inspect more than 700 Boeing 787s around the world. 158 aircraft are registered in the United States. This set of malfunctions leads the American aviation oversight agency to doubt Boeing's quality controls. At present, the American aircraft manufacturer has not communicated.

These incidents are not the first encountered by the Boeing 787. Let us recall that in 2021 and 2022, its production had to be stopped following a documentation defect (and not a manufacturing defect). Last year, it was singled out for an analysis error at the level of the pressurization partitions of its fuselage, at the front of the aircraft. This new series of incidents is unlikely to work in favor of the most efficient plane in Boeing's fleet.

• The FAA has ordered a thorough inspection of the pilot and co-pilot seats on Boeing 787s
• In March 2024, the Boeing 787 aircraft flying from Sydney (Australia) to Auckland (New Zealand) suddenly lost altitude. It propelled dozens of passengers who were not wearing their seat belts to the ceiling
• The cause of this incident ? “An uncontrolled forward movement of the captain's seat that led to a rapid descent”
• Other incidents involving uncontrolled movements of pilots' seats have been recorded on Boeing 787s in recent months

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