FAA orders 787 cockpit seat checks after rise in incidents

The Federal Aviation Administration mandated that operators of Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner inspect the jet’s cockpit seats after an uptick in reports about inadvertent movements disrupting flights.

Boeing warned operators in March that a switch located on the rear of pilots’ seats that activates a motor to move them up and back can possibly jam if the mechanism is loose or damaged. The notice followed a March incident where a Latam Airlines Group SA flight took a nosedive after a cockpit seat reportedly moved, throwing the pilot into the plane’s control column. Dozens of people were injured as a result of the mishap.

“The FAA has received, with increasing frequency since March 2024, reports of uncommanded horizontal movement of the Captain’s or First Officer’s seat, when occupied,” the regulator said in a filing Monday. Due to “the risk to the flying public” the FAA said it decided to issue the so-called airworthiness directive as a final rule, rather than proposing it first.

“Uncommanded horizontal seat movement can cause inflight upset from unintended and abrupt flight control inputs, which could result in a rapid descent of the airplane and serious injury to passengers and crew,” the FAA said.

The directive affects 158 US-registered aircraft. The regulator said it has received five reports about seat movements, the most recent of which occurred in June.

“We fully support the FAA’s Airworthiness Directive which makes mandatory a supplier’s guidance to 787 operators,” said Boeing in an emailed statement.