Dozens were taken to hospital after the LATAM Airlines plane experienced “strong movement.”
Dozens were injured as a result of what officials described as a “forceful movement” on board a Chilean plane heading from Australia to New Zealand.
In a statement on Monday, Chilean airline LATAM blamed the injuries on a “technical event during the flight that caused a strong movement.” It's just the latest in a series of safety-related incidents involving a Boeing plane.
Passengers were greeted by paramedics when the LATAM Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner touched down in Auckland. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.
About 50 people were treated at the scene, most of them for minor injuries. An ambulance spokesman said that 12 people were taken to hospital, and one of them was believed to be in serious condition.
It's been a turbulent week for Boeing, as the US plane maker has been plagued by a series of safety issues.
On March 4, an engine fire forced a Boeing 737 to make an emergency landing in Houston, Texas shortly after takeoff. United Airlines said the engine swallowed some plastic bubble wrap that was at the airport before departure.
Two days later, fumes emanating from the cabin of a Boeing 737-800 led to an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon.
On Thursday, a tire fell off a Boeing 777-200 after takeoff in San Francisco, destroying the vehicle. The plane was heading to Japan, but diverted to Los Angeles, where it landed safely.
A day later, a Boeing 737 MAX ran off the runway in Houston and got stuck in the grass.
This week's events come as the US planemaker is still reeling from a near-catastrophic accident in January when a fuselage panel on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 exploded mid-flight.
In the incident on Monday, passengers arriving in Auckland told local media that the plane quickly lost altitude, throwing unsafe people towards the ceiling.
One passenger told RNZ: “People were flying into the air because they weren't wearing seatbelts.”
“Some people were seriously injured. People were really scared, too,” the man said, his voice trembling.
Flight LA800 landed at Auckland Airport as scheduled and was scheduled to continue to Santiago, Chile.
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