Latam flight LA800: New theory on why Sydney to Auckland plane suddenly plunged sending passengers flying – as photo shows aircraft’s wing patched up with TAPE

A new theory has emerged about why a plane suddenly plunged 100 meters, injuring 50 people during a flight from Sydney to Auckland, while a shocking image shows one of its wings flying just days earlier was covered with tape.

The sudden drop could have been caused by a problem with the electric seat mechanism in the cockpit of Chile’s Latam Airlines flight LA800, which subsequently pushed the pilot into flight controls, a new theory suggests.

And on Thursday evening the New Zealand herald published a photo showing the Boeing 787-9 aircraft with heavy use of tape on one of its wings.

The photo was taken by a passenger who was very concerned about it, while a woman flying the same route with Latam in January also noticed the same tape.

‘When I saw how old the plane was, I was shocked. The wings were held together by what looked like black tape. “I am certainly not surprised by this recent incident,” she said.

The Latam Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft that suddenly lost altitude in flight a day earlier is seen on the tarmac of Auckland International Airport in Auckland on March 12, 2024

But a Latin American spokeswoman told the NZ Herald that the tape in the image is aviation tape, also known as high-speed tape.

‘The use of aviation tape is approved by regulators, aviation authorities and aircraft manufacturers and is only used temporarily for paint loss on the aircraft wing, without affecting the operability of the aircraft.

“Latam Airlines prioritizes safety above all else,” she said.

Although the tape may look like regular duct tape, the material used for airplane wings is actually an aluminum-based material that is known to be safe for certain types of repairs.

Earlier Thursday, a theory emerged about the flight, saying the sudden fall could have been caused by an electric seat mechanism in the cockpit pushing the pilot into the controls.

Former Qantas pilot Richard de Crespigny told Channel 7’s sunrise that that theory was entirely possible, and that a similar incident occurred on a Royal Air Force A-330 flight.

“The pilot put his camera down next to the side stick, the seat moved forward, pushed the camera into the side stick and the plane jerked,” he said.

‘It is important that people do not have anything in the cockpit that could interfere (with the controls).

“That’s one of the thoughts on what happened, but there were also, I believe, power outages or there may have been weather events.”

De Crespigny, however, warned against panic or hasty conclusions about what happened.

‘Aviation is safe. “Last year, no one died on 37 million flights, four billion people,” he said.

Brian Jokat, a passenger on the Latam flight, said two hours into the three-hour journey “the plane just fell out of the sky” and the man sitting next to him flew into the air, hit the ceiling, then fell down and hit his head on an armrest.

Passenger Janet Baker prepares to check in at Auckland International Airport in New Zealand for a rescheduled Latam Airlines flight to Santiago, Chile on Tuesday, March 12, 2024

“Then the plane started to dive and I just thought, ‘Okay, this is it, we’re done,'” he told the Stuff news website.

Mr Jokat, a Canadian, said there was no turbulence after the incident and when the flight landed in Auckland the pilot ended up “shocked” at the back of the plane.

“I asked, ‘What happened?’ and he said, ‘My gauges just went out, I lost all my ability to fly the plane.’

Fifty people were treated at the scene by paramedics from St John Ambulance at Auckland International Airport, with 13 taken to Middlemore Hospital.

One of the patients is said to be in a serious condition.

Passenger Lucas Ellwood told Sunrise about the chaotic scenes on the Latam flight.

The flight path of Latam Airlines’ LA800 Dreamliner service from Sydney to Auckland is pictured

Fifty passengers were injured during the chaotic scenes, with 13 hospitalized with head and neck injuries and broken bones. The photo shows an injured person during the flight

“We had just finished lunch (when it happened). There was wine on the roof and there were people on the roof, it was just a scary, terrifying moment,” he said.

Several passengers were reportedly not wearing their seat belts, contributing to the high number of injuries.

Mr Ellwood was holding his iPad and filling out a New Zealand passenger declaration when the incident occurred, but was wearing his seat belt.

‘The declaration form and my iPad both hit the roof and immediately crashed. It was crazy.’