STORY: The aircraft experienced a “massive jolt”, passenger Brian Jokat told New Zealand media. As a result, 10 passengers and three cabin crew members were taken to a hospital, the South American carrier said as it investigates the cause.
Another passenger Lucas Ellwood said there were “people scared, screaming, crying and lots of injuries”.
The flight with 263 passengers and nine cabin crew members landed at Auckland airport as scheduled on Monday afternoon.
One person is in a serious condition while the rest suffered mild-to-moderate injuries, according to a spokesperson for Hato Hone St John, which treated roughly 50 people at the airport.
The cause of the apparent sudden change in trajectory of LATAM 800 could not be ascertained immediately. Safety experts say most airplane accidents are caused by a cocktail of factors that need to be thoroughly investigated.
Boeing said it was working to gather more information and will provide any support to the airline.
