50 people injured on SYD-AKL LATAM flight LA800

Is “seizing” an unusual word to be used given these circumstances? Or is it always “seized by the respective local authorities”?
Actually, "seizing" is the word used by TAIC (Transport Accident Investigation Commission - NZ). "TAIC is in the process of gathering evidence relevant to the inquiry, including seizing the coughpit voice and flight data recorders." See TAIC assisting Chile investigation into LATAM flight LA800 accident | TAIC.

To those criticising the media (and I'm often dubious myself), this time they are actually quoting an official source.
 
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But would a nosedive be such a sudden drop that pax & crew would be catapulted into air in the cabin?
Yes. See QF72 incident (the scary one off the WA coast where the a330 computer decided to dive the plane).
 
ABC News is reporting the pilot seat movement investigation angle for this this incident:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03...tigtion-reportedly-on-coughpit-seat/103575728

I do wonder if a pilot dropped their mobile phone and moved the seat to try to retrieve it, rather than asking the cabin crew for assistance o_O

Awaiting official reports rather than media speculation for any real understanding of what caused the event.
 
ABC News is reporting the pilot seat movement investigation angle for this this incident:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03...tigtion-reportedly-on-coughpit-seat/103575728

I do wonder if a pilot dropped their mobile phone and moved the seat to try to retrieve it, rather than asking the cabin crew for assistance o_O

Awaiting official reports rather than media speculation for any real understanding of what caused the event.
Normally I would agree with waiting for official report although i found a lot of interesting info from the contributors to this thread, particularly about the systems computer needing to be shut down by 50+ days, as well as the fact it takes a while for the investigation findings to be announced, often at a time when other news takes more centre stage
 
I'm actually curious from the pilots around, if a Boeing plane is in cruise control and the yoke is suddenly slammed forwards all the way without prior disengagement of the autopilot, does the plane even react in this manner? or is the autopilot still holding onto control?
 
Normally I would agree with waiting for official report although i found a lot of interesting info from the contributors to this thread, particularly about the systems computer needing to be shut down by 50+ days, as well as the fact it takes a while for the investigation findings to be announced, often at a time when other news takes more centre stage
Certainly lots of interesting information circulating. While we won't "know" the details until official reports are published, discussion of possible causes, actions, results etc. can be very interesting. We just need to keep in mind that it is speculation until confirmed. Speculation is fine, so long as we treat it as speculation and not as fact.
 
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I'm actually curious from the pilots around, if a Boeing plane is in cruise control and the yoke is suddenly slammed forwards all the way without prior disengagement of the autopilot, does the plane even react in this manner? or is the autopilot still holding onto control?
Showing my age but whenever someone mentioned plane autopilot, I have this mental picture of some scenes from Airplane!/Flying High movie, when it gets disconnected/disengaged (and how Elaine saved the day)
 
But would a nosedive be such a sudden drop that pax & crew would be catapulted into air in the cabin?
Like all pilots, I hate the term 'nosedive'. It's just a dive...unless it's going backwards, in which case it's a tailslide.

It has nothing to do with whether the aircraft is diving or not. It's all about where the control surfaces are, and what forces they are producing. Basically, if the aircraft is made to move in any direction faster than you, then it will run into you, and hold you on whatever surface it hit you with. Normally that's the floor, but if you push sufficient negative g, then you'll find everyone on the ceiling.
ABC News is reporting the pilot seat movement investigation angle for this this incident.
Interesting. I wouldn't have thought even full forward on the seat would be enough to push you onto the yoke, though it could certainly restrict the amount of rearward (nose up) yoke motion available. Seat motion isn't all that fast either.
I'm actually curious from the pilots around, if a Boeing plane is in cruise control and the yoke is suddenly slammed forwards all the way without prior disengagement of the autopilot, does the plane even react in this manner? or is the autopilot still holding onto control?
I don't think any of us are going to experiment with slamming the yoke in any direction. I suspect that it will initially resist your input, but if you keep it up it would disengage. That's not the only behaviour possible though. Older Airbus designs (300/310) would drop to a mode called control wheel steering if you moved the yoke, with a gotcha in that they only changed modes in the channel you'd moved (i.e. pitch or roll).
Showing my age but whenever someone mentioned plane autopilot, I have this mental picture of some scenes from Airplane!/Flying High movie, when it gets disconnected/disengaged (and how Elaine saved the day)
Yes, that's how it is. Elaine is a very useful person.
 
A refinement of the pilot seat mishap explanation for the LATAM plane's sudden rapid descent. From The Oz online, on my phone

IMG_0716.jpeg

If true, it almost sounds comical if the result wasn’t so serious.
 
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I assume this Ypu Tube video (included in the ABC news article linked previously) is the "switch" with the cover referenced in the Oz online article posted by @RooFlyer


It certainly shows that the seat movement is slow. I do wonder, if this was the real cause, what body part, appendage or otherwise was involved with the process.

I expect the coughpit voice recorded will have revealed some interesting information if this speculation is remotely accurate.
 
If it was truly the seat being moved inadvertently, then surely the pilot account to the passengers about the screens going blank was likely not true? It seems like there would be basically zero chance of them both happening at once.
 
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/15/boeing-coughpit-seat-switch-latam-flight

Allegedly, It was food related .,,
 
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