Survivors of a heart-stopping aeroplane nosedive receive shockingly inadequate compensation

When passengers boarded LATAM Airlines flight LA800 from Sydney to Auckland, they expected a routine journey across the Tasman Sea.

Instead, they experienced a harrowing ordeal as their plane suddenly plunged out of the sky, resulting in injuries for 50 individuals and a traumatic experience for those on board.



The Boeing 787-9 aircraft encountered what has been described as a 'technical problem', causing chaos within the cabin as passengers were thrown against the ceiling and down the aisles.

Emergency services, including St John Ambulance, were dispatched to Auckland International Airport, where they treated the wounded.

Thirteen of these passengers required hospitalisation for their injuries.


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LATAM Airlines flight passengers expressed their disappointment over the airline’s response to the incident. Image source: Shutterstock.

But in a move that has sparked outrage among the survivors, the airline's immediate compensation for this life-threatening experience was a single McDonald's cheeseburger, handed out as they awaited further information.

This gesture has been perceived as a slap in the face by those who had just cheated death.



The passengers' ordeal did not end with the emergency landing.

Thais Iwamoto, 26, from Sydney claimed that the lack of support and poor communications from the airline 'is something I want to talk to them about because it's not OK. It's just not fair.'

'Accidents happen, but the way they treat us, that's not what it's supposed to be,' she added.

Another Brisbane woman Clara Azevedo, found herself in the role of impromptu caregiver and translator for fellow travelers.

'We are all traumatised, and we had to find strength to help people out. But this is not our responsibility, it is LATAM’s—but they haven't done anything. That's very frustrating,' Ms Azevedo said.

Azevedo, who was unharmed, spent the night at a hospital assisting an elderly woman with broken ribs and a shoulder injury.



Jacob Thompson, another Australian passenger, recounted the terrifying moments when he and his partner were violently jostled by the unexpected turbulence.

The fear that they might not survive the flight was palpable, and the subsequent treatment by the airline only added insult to injury.

'We didn't know if we would make it to landing,' he recalled.

The survivors were eventually transported to an Auckland hotel in the early hours of Tuesday morning, where breakfast the following day was their first proper meal since the cheeseburger at the airport.

Azevedo and the injured woman she took care of were due to catch the rescheduled flight to Santiago, Chile, at 8 PM, Tuesday night.

She said she was feeling 'terrified' and was hoping to get something to help her sleep during her journey to South America.



As of Tuesday evening, four passengers remained hospitalised with significant injuries.

The diverse group of injured passengers hailed from countries including Brazil, France, Australia, Chile, and New Zealand.

LATAM Airlines has stated that it is coordinating with authorities to support investigations into the incident and has 'provided affected passengers with food, accommodation and transportation due to the flight cancellation'.

The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission has indicated that Chile will lead the investigation, as the incident occurred in international airspace.
Key Takeaways

  • Passengers on a LATAM Airlines flight from Sydney to Auckland were injured after the plane lost altitude and plunged, resulting in around 50 injuries.
  • After the incident, the passengers were treated with a single McDonald's cheeseburger as compensation while they waited for updates, which angered many.
  • Several passengers expressed frustration with the lack of support and poor communication from LATAM Airlines following the traumatic event.
  • LATAM Airlines stated they were working with authorities to support investigations and had provided affected passengers with food, accommodation, and transportation due to the flight cancellation.
Our thoughts go out to the victims of the incident, and we wish all of them a speedy recovery.

Have you experienced a flight cancellation before? How was the airline’s response to the situation? Share your stories with us in the comments below.
 
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I would NOT have accepted the McDonalds hamburger. How dare they give people rubbish to eat. They could have given them something nourishing not rubbish. Accidents of course happen but give them proper food!
 
where on earth is this airline from? I've never heard of them. Personally, I would show them the door and hit them with a court case. This is absolutely disgusting in every way.
 
Morning,, yes i have experienced flight cancellations with jetstar but they were fantastic, recommend them every time,, on recent flights we are advised to keep seat belts fastened in cace of emergency, it is best advise. This airline was very fortunate that there was not total wipeout, wonder what "truth " will be told to the public
 
Morning,, yes i have experienced flight cancellations with jetstar but they were fantastic, recommend them every time,, on recent flights we are advised to keep seat belts fastened in cace of emergency, it is best advise. This airline was very fortunate that there was not total wipeout, wonder what "truth " will be told to the public
I've flown on planes all the way back to the Focker with Ansett but I have never been put through what these people were.
 
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A cancellation of a different type, but none the less a cancellation;
Back in the late 80's we booked a family holiday to Fiji along with my sisters family. Hubby and I had been through a tough few years with the birth of our son who was born with "O.I." better known as "brittle bones". He sustained seven fractures whilst in utero and many more in his first few years of life. So the holiday was a huge welcome to us all and had been booked for almost 12 months in advance. Four days prior to leaving, Qantas cancelled our flights due to our sons health diagnosis, stating that "it would put fear into their passengers if he was to break a bone on board the flight". He had a medical clearance from specialist which we had provided, his specialist even spoke to Qantas, but they would not back down. My last attempt to reason with Qantas was to remind them they had been flying a certain well known young boy with same problem for the past 6 years for treatment in America, a story reported on many times over the years by Mike Willisee on ACA and I would be contacting ACA regarding the lame reason they cancelled. Within 2 hours they reversed their decision, full of apologies and we went on our holiday. We knew the risk involved but were prepared if anything happened, but all went well and we returned home with no problems. I think their reason to cancel was appalling and the fact we had booked 12 months prior with no concerns raised by Qantas until 4 days prior was disgusting treatment. Even todays airline standards for people with disabilities they all fall well short of compassion and disregard to peoples wheelchairs which get literally thrown on board with luggage. Every time my son flys nowadays his wheelchair gets some part of it broken and they even lost it on one occassion. He carries spare parts with him if he flies these days because something always gets damaged.
 
A cancellation of a different type, but none the less a cancellation;
Back in the late 80's we booked a family holiday to Fiji along with my sisters family. Hubby and I had been through a tough few years with the birth of our son who was born with "O.I." better known as "brittle bones". He sustained seven fractures whilst in utero and many more in his first few years of life. So the holiday was a huge welcome to us all and had been booked for almost 12 months in advance. Four days prior to leaving, Qantas cancelled our flights due to our sons health diagnosis, stating that "it would put fear into their passengers if he was to break a bone on board the flight". He had a medical clearance from specialist which we had provided, his specialist even spoke to Qantas, but they would not back down. My last attempt to reason with Qantas was to remind them they had been flying a certain well known young boy with same problem for the past 6 years for treatment in America, a story reported on many times over the years by Mike Willisee on ACA and I would be contacting ACA regarding the lame reason they cancelled. Within 2 hours they reversed their decision, full of apologies and we went on our holiday. We knew the risk involved but were prepared if anything happened, but all went well and we returned home with no problems. I think their reason to cancel was appalling and the fact we had booked 12 months prior with no concerns raised by Qantas until 4 days prior was disgusting treatment. Even todays airline standards for people with disabilities they allFirstly fall well short of compassion and disregard to peoples wheelchairs which get literally thrown on board with luggage. Every time my son flys nowadays his wheelchair gets some part of it broken and they even lost it on one occassion. He carries spare parts with him if he flies these days because something always gets damaged.
thank you, Sir. Firstly the mention of OI reminded me immediately of Quentin who I've never forgotten. I understand well what you say. I also use wheels in and out of my home but I've had my walking stick (when I could use them) stolen from the bag on the back of my scooter, rubbish and abuse thrown at me and so it goes on. I'm sure people think that if you aren't "perfect" you should be put down. I wish you, your son and family better days ahead. I always wanted to go on a cruise but age, disability and being on my own were all against me. Happy travelling to you.
 
where on earth is this airline from? I've never heard of them. Personally, I would show them the door and hit them with a court case. This is absolutely disgusting in every way.
They are the largest airline group in South America. Based in Chile, but multinational in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia.
 
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If the 'accident' was caused by Clear Air Turbulence, as seems most likely, and the airline advised the passenger's to keep their seatbelts fastened then the airline has not done anything wrong.

Think of it like a group of young people wandering around so focused on their mobile phones that they step in front of a bus without looking.

Is the bus company to blame for their injuries?
 
How odd that it happened to a Boeing 787. That aeroplane is getting the type of reputation unfortunately enjoyed by the first jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet.
 
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A 787-9 Dreamliner wing is about 4k sq ft (600k sq in).

At sea level there's 14 lb/ sq in the air resting on the wing, when the aircraft is stationary on the ground is about 8.4M lbs (3.8M kg), which is balanced by air between the wing and the ground.

The max take-off weight of the aircraft is 254,000 kg.

When flying straight and level in horizontally still air the same balance of air above and below the wing is there, with the addition of 254,000 kg of lift caused by the wing moving through the air.

However, if the aircraft suddenly enters a zone of moving air travelling rapidly down towards the ground, the balance of air is removed.

Given how much greater the mass of air resting on the wing (even at higher altitudes) is, the result is obvious.

The aircraft cannot avoiding falling, rapidly.

This can have devastating consequences.

The pilot can adjust the control surfaces and engine power to compensate, but it takes time and may have further devastating consequences if the aircraft suddenly exits the zone of falling air.


The World is huge and we are tiny, sometimes that reality slaps us in the face.

If you don't like it, tell God when you see him/her/them.

But don't expect it to change anything.

Though you may get a new perspective on global warming, it's a lot hotter where you will probably go next.
 
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where on earth is this airline from? I've never heard of them. Personally, I would show them the door and hit them with a court case. This is absolutely disgusting in every way.
Don't know much do you, this s the problem when our news lasts about 6 minutes (and all domestic) and the rest of the half hour is filled with AFL/NRL/Cricket rubbish. Have you heard of Qantas ?? Well Latam is over twice the size of Qantas and a much younger fleet too, so don't pick holes when you know nothing about them. This was probably caused by YOUR god anyway.
 
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How odd that it happened to a Boeing 787. That aeroplane is getting the type of reputation unfortunately enjoyed by the first jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet.
Nothing like, think you may be getting confused with the 737Max
 
This must have been terrifying & it appears that LATAM could have handled things a lot better. A stern reminder to keep your seat belt on. My thoughts are with everyone & wishing all a speedy recovery
As you say 'could have' but don't forget this was on the ground in NZ so you get what you get. Easy to say this that and the other could have happened in retrospect but real time it's a different matter. Otherwise agree with you except I wish all a full recovery and a deep rooted reminder to keep seat belt on at all times.
 
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A 787-9 Dreamliner wing is about 4k sq ft (600k sq in).

At sea level there's 14 lb/ sq in the air resting on the wing, when the aircraft is stationary on the ground is about 8.4M lbs (3.8M kg), which is balanced by air between the wing and the ground.

The max take-off weight of the aircraft is 254,000 kg.

When flying straight and level in horizontally still air the same balance of air above and below the wing is there, with the addition of 254,000 kg of lift caused by the wing moving through the air.

However, if the aircraft suddenly enters a zone of moving air travelling rapidly down towards the ground, the balance of air is removed.

Given how much greater the mass of air resting on the wing (even at higher altitudes) is, the result is obvious.

The aircraft cannot avoiding falling, rapidly.

This can have devastating consequences.

The pilot can adjust the control surfaces and engine power to compensate, but it takes time and may have further devastating consequences if the aircraft suddenly exits the zone of falling air.


The World is huge and we are tiny, sometimes that reality slaps us in the face.

If you don't like it, tell God when you see him/her/them.

But don't expect it to change anything.

Though you may get a new perspective on global warming, it's a lot hotter where you will probably go next.
Great post, at last someone with a bit of knowledge speaks the truth on here, but the facebook minions will still go their merry, believe anything with a slappy headline way
 

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