Italy's civil aviation safety investigation authority (ANSV) has released its preliminary report on the Latam Brasil Boeing 777 tail strike incident that occurred during takeoff from Milan Airport in July, revealing troubling details for the seasoned pilots involved.
The aircraft, en route to São Paulo, experienced a severe tail strike as it took off, which was captured on video( see below). The footage showed the jet's tail scraping the runway for over 720 meters before it finally lifted off.
Following the incident, the pilots issued a "pan-pan" emergency call, circled to dump fuel, and safely returned to Milan. None of the 398 passengers and crew onboard were injured.
The ANSV's investigation has since determined that
‘The pilots made a critical error when inputting data into the onboard computer. Instead of entering the aircraft's total weight, including fuel, they mistakenly used the 'zero fuel weight.' This mistake led the plane's computer to calculate an incorrect takeoff speed, significantly lower than what was necessary.’
The cockpit crew included an instructor captain, a captain-in-training, and a relief captain in the jump seat—all highly experienced. However, Ben Schlappig of the aviation site One Mile At A Time described the error as a "major mistake," noting that it was alarming not only that the incorrect data was entered but that none of the three captains noticed the discrepancy.
Schlappig emphasized that, given the hot day and the fully loaded aircraft, the incorrect takeoff parameters should have been immediately apparent. Despite this, no one questioned the figures.
Why has Latam’s safety rating changed?
This incident coupled with the recent tragic crash of Voepass Flight 2283 which was carrying a Latam flight number has resulted in a reduction of Latam’s safety rating on AirlineRatings.com to a 4/7.
Latam codeshares with Voepass to allow expansion of it’s own domestic network therefore, customers buying a Latam ticket may very well end up on a Voepass domestic flight. The preliminary reports for the Voepass flight will be shared on our site as soon as they are available.
You can read more about the Voepass crash and what we know so far here
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