‘Dipped so Dramatically’: 50 Treated After Passengers Thrown Into Roof of Sydney to Auckland Flight

A LATAM plane sits at gate at Los Angeles Airport (LAX), in Los Angeles, California, on March 11, 2024. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

Passengers have spoken out after a technical problem on a LATAM Airlines flight from Sydney to Auckland.

Around 50 people on the flight were treated in Auckland by St John units at the scene, with 12 taken to hospital and one in a serious condition.

The LA800 flight was bound for Santiago, Chile, with a stop in New Zealand’s most populous city, Auckland.

One passenger told the New Zealand Herald the plane dipped dramatically into a nose dive and passengers were screaming.

“The plane dipped so dramatically into a nose dive for a couple of seconds and around 30 people hit the ceiling hard,” he told the publication.

“None of us knew what had happened until after the flight, I was just trying to keep everyone calm. We never heard any announcement from the captain.”

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner experienced a “technical event” during the flight causing a “strong movement,” the airline said.

“Flight LA800, operating the Sydney—Auckland route today, had a technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement,” LATAM Airlines said in a statement.

“LATAM 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.”

“I went into fight mode and just started jumping in and helping where I could because the crew were injured so couldn’t help,” she said.

The Airbus A319-132 (PT-TML) from Chilean-Brazilian airline LATAM is seen during the approach to land at the Santos Dumont airport at Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Dec. 13, 2023. MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images

5 Passengers Remain In Hospital

Health New Zealand national director Fionnagh Dougan said hospital staff worked incredibly hard to ensure a seamless transfer of patients during the “significant event.”

“Everyone got the best possible care,” she said told Radio New Zealand.

Five passengers remained in hospital on March 12, in a stable condition at two separate hospitals in Auckland.

Airline cabin crew were among those impacted by the incident.