A LATAM flight from Los Angeles to Santiago de Compostela had to make an unexpected return to LAX due to some electronic hiccups on board. The Boeing 787-8, which was cruising over the Pacific, had to circle back to dump fuel before safely landing. A key indicator of the issue was the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), hinting at a significant power problem. This incident adds to a string of issues with Boeing 787s this year, including a notable Air India crash in June and a United Airlines flight that had to return to Washington Dulles last week due to engine trouble.
Flight 603, a daily LATAM service, took off from Los Angeles at 4:41 PM on July 31. Everything seemed routine until the crew requested to maintain a lower altitude at 23,000 feet. When air traffic control checked in, the crew initially said all was well but soon asked to reduce speed, revealing that the RAT was deployed. After some back-and-forth, the decision was made to head back to LAX. The plane descended to 8,000 feet, circled over the ocean to dump fuel for about 30 minutes, and then landed safely on runway 25L, taxiing to the gate without any help.
Interestingly, some ground observers reported hearing the RAT’s distinct sound during takeoff. An aircraft mechanic, known as ProjectJSC on Reddit, shared that the plane sounded like a propeller aircraft and speculated that the RAT might have been the source of the noise. Despite the scare, both engines were operational upon landing, suggesting the issue might have been electrical rather than mechanical.
#LATAM #Boeing787 #AviationNews #EmergencyLanding #LAX
Originally reported by Simple Flying Read More
