Sydney to Auckland LATAM Airlines incident: Terrifying moment flight LA800 nosedived, injuring up to 50 passengers as they were ‘thrown into the ceiling’

Passengers and crew on a Boeing 787-9 flight from Sydney to Auckland were thrown into the roof of the plane after a sudden loss of altitude on Monday afternoon.

Up to 50 people were injured due to a ‘technical problem’ on the Chilean Latam Airlines flight, with multiple emergency workers and vehicles involved in the response.

Passenger Brian Jokat said that two hours into the three-hour flight, “the plane suddenly fell out of the sky.”

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

Mr Jokat said there was no turbulence after the incident and after the flight landed in Auckland the pilot ended up in the back of the plane ‘shocked’.

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

Another passenger on the flight, Priscilla Waller-Subritzky, said she was watching a movie when the plane suddenly fell and “a number of passengers and crew were thrown into the roof of the plane.”

“I went into fight mode and just started jumping and helping where I could because the crew was injured so they couldn’t help,” she told the New Zealand herald.

Thirteen patients, one of whom was in a serious condition, were taken to Middlemore Hospital, a St John ambulance spokesman said.

“Our ambulance crews assessed and treated approximately 50 patients, with one patient in a serious condition and the remainder in a moderate to mild condition.

“To date, 13 patients have been transported to Middlemore Hospital by ambulance,” they said in an update issued shortly after 7pm local time.

Previously, the spokesperson said: ‘We were notified at 3.58pm and are currently on scene with four ambulances, two operations managers, a major incident support team vehicle, a command unit and two rapid response vehicles.’

A woman who was on the LA800 Dreamliner service flight said she experienced a “quick little drop” during the flight.

“I was a flight attendant and this is the first time I’ve ever… the whole plane froze,” she said.

An Auckland Airport spokesperson said the emergency services team assisted St John following a request for medical support.

In a statement, Latam Airlines said the flight “had a technical problem during the flight that caused a strong movement,” but the plane landed as planned.

“As a result of the incident, some passengers and cabin crew were affected. They received immediate assistance and, if necessary, were evaluated or treated by medical staff at the airport.

“Latam regrets any inconvenience and harm this situation may have caused to its passengers, and reiterates its commitment to safety as a priority within the framework of its operational standards.”

St. John’s paramedics treated 24 people at the scene, with eight in moderate condition and 16 in mild condition. A St. John’s ambulance is pictured at the scene

It was the second incident involving a plane that took off from Sydney International Airport on Monday.

Previously, United Airlines Flight 830 to San Francisco was forced to turn around after a mid-air emergency.

A leak was reportedly discovered on board the Boeing 777-300 aircraft and it landed back in Sydney at 2.34pm, just over two and a half hours en route.

Firefighters met the aircraft on the tarmac.

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

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, United Airlines said the plane had been diverted to Sydney ‘due to a maintenance issue’.

“The aircraft landed safely and the passengers disembarked normally at the gate,” the report said.

‘We are offering passengers an overnight stay and rebooking them for San Francisco tomorrow.’

More to come…