Inside the flight from hell that left 50 injured when plane ‘froze’ mid-air

'People were thrown out of their seats, hit the top of the roof of the plane, thrown down the aisles.'

Mar 12, 2024 - 14:00
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Inside the flight from hell that left 50 injured when plane ‘froze’ mid-air

Brian Jokat thought he was still dreaming when a tremor jolted his eyes open and he was confronted with the sight of dozens of fellow passengers lying scattered in the aisle, many covered in blood.

He was one of the 263 travellers on board an LATAM Airlines flight that suddenly froze mid-air during a three-hour journey between Australia and New Zealand on Monday.

‘My neighbour who was in the seat two over from me, there was a gap in between us, as soon as I woke I looked and he was on the ceiling and I thought I was dreaming,’ he said.

‘It dropped unlike anything I’ve ever experienced on any kind of minor turbulence. People were thrown out of their seats, hit the top of the roof of the plane, thrown down the aisles.

‘Some of the roof panels were broken from people being thrown up and knocking through the plastic roof panels in the aisle ways. And there was blood coming from several people’s heads.’

Photos taken by the Canadian citizen, who lives in the UK, shows the damage caused to the ceiling when passengers not wearing their belts clattered into it.

At least 50 people were injured by what LATAM Airlines described as a ‘strong movement’ on the Chilean plane travelling from Sydney to Auckland.

A paramedic walks onboard as passengers look on, after an incident on a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787, in Auckland, New Zealand, March 11, 2024, in this picture obtained from social media. Brian Adam Jokat/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
A paramedic walks onboard as passengers look on (Picture: Brian Adam Jokat via Reuters)
A view of the damage sustained to the ceiling of the airplane after an incident on a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787, in Auckland, New Zealand, March 11, 2024, in this picture obtained from social media. Brian Adam Jokat/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
The ceiling was damaged by passengers being thrown into it (Picture: Brian Adam Jokat via Reuters)
A passenger shows his injuries after an incident on a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787, in Auckland, New Zealand, March 11, 2024, in this picture obtained from social media. Brian Adam Jokat/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
Another passenger shows his injuries after the incident (Picture: Brian Adam Jokat via Reuters)

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner later landed at Auckland Airport as scheduled and was due to continue on to Santiago, Chile.

LATAM said in a statement there was ‘a technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement’.

In a later statement, the airline said the plane ‘experienced a strong shake during flight, the cause of which is currently under investigation’.

Passengers said a number of people weren’t wearing seatbelts when flight LA800 suddenly dropped.

‘If you were in your seat, you went straight up to the ceiling and bounced off the roof. I just happened to be one of the lucky ones who was strapped in for that incident,’ Jokat told ABC.

TOPSHOT - The LATAM Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane that suddenly lost altitude mid-flight a day earlier, dropping violently and injuring dozens of terrified travellers, is seen on the tarmac of the Auckland International Airport in Auckland on March 12, 2024. (Photo by BRETT PHIBBS / AFP) (Photo by BRETT PHIBBS/AFP via Getty Images)
The LATAM Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane that suddenly lost altitude mid-flight a day earlier, dropping violently and injuring dozens of travellers (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

The airline said it ‘regrets the inconvenience and injury this situation may have caused its passengers, and reiterates its commitment to safety as a priority within the framework of its operational standards’.

The cause of the apparent sudden change in trajectory of the flight is currently unexplained.

Safety experts say most airplane accidents are caused by a cocktail of factors that need to be thoroughly investigated.

New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement it would also assist in the investigation if required.

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